


Harmony Never Really Dies

by FierySprites



Series: Make a Friend [12]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Kirby (Video Games), Kirby - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: And Also a Friend, Bonding, Canonical Character Death, Chatting & Messaging, Crossover, Dub Terms, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Kirby Is Sassy, Look I just want everyone to be happy alright, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Post-Star Allies, Recovery, Redemption, Resurrection, Self-Indulgent, Team as Family, They deserved better, Trauma, but not a whole lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2019-08-05 04:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16360397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FierySprites/pseuds/FierySprites
Summary: Although you can try all you might – strangle it, slice it, simmer it, stab it, even shoot it off into space – you can never really kill hope. Hope always moves forward, and in the end, it’ll create a miracle that’ll shine forever brightly.(Or, Kaede and the crew get a second chance on Pop Star.)





	1. Sing a Song of Revival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Ultimate Pianist miraculously finds herself alive again, against all the odds – and makes herself a friend in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is set sometime after the events of _Kirby Star Allies_ and (technically) during the timeframe of _Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony._ There are incredibly massive spoilers for the latter title that extend far into the endgame, so it is recommended you do not read this fic without having played through the entirety of that game first.
> 
> In the **Make a Friend** universe canon, this fic is set prior to the events of _Are You a Friend, Too?._
> 
> This chapter, in particular, contains spoilers for Chapter 1 of DRV3.

**Location:** _(…I wish I knew.)_

Kaede Akamatsu hadn’t expected to wake up again.

After all, she had been stolen away by a metal clamp, mercilessly swung around to create some twisted symphony, the noose on her neck growing ever tighter and tighter and tighter and _tighter_ , until she was hanging limp and sore and barely conscious and then _slammed crushed stomped shut **smashed to death** —_

She had thought that it’d be the death of her.

She had thought that what she’d done would be the death of her.

She had thought that killing Rantaro Amami – no matter how accidental a killing it may have been – would be the last thing she would ever do.

And she’d submitted herself to her fate, even though she knew she could’ve taken the chance to escape alive, and walked into the Class Trial with few regrets.

(One of said regrets, of course, was the utterly distraught face of her best friend Shuichi, his hand reaching out to grab hers and herself trying to return the favor _and yet they were just out of reach—)_

But… now she was awake. Her eyes perfectly open. Her body completely untouched. Her mind perfectly working.

_…why?_

“…where… where am I?” she asked quietly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “And… why am I… alive?” As her vision cleared up, she found herself staring up into a perfectly clear and navy night sky, unmarred by the gigantic cage that had surrounded the Ultimate Academy. Birds chirped and bugs sang all around her, a warm breeze blowing across her skin and somehow feeling so much more natural than being inside the glorified prison.

Despite all the odds, she was alive, and free, and perfectly fine, except she _wasn’t,_ because she was supposed to be _dead,_ and she was a _murderer,_ and, and…

…it was no good. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t think at all. Her mind just kept racing because of this impossibility. And that wasn’t even mentioning the tears running down her cheeks.

 _Just… Just what is going on?_ she thought, unable to stem her crying from just everything that had happened. _This shouldn’t be possible. I don’t deserve to be alive again. Why? Why choose **me?**_

As she sat there, feeling sorry for herself (but she only had herself to blame, for wasn’t she the one who decided to take that change, to roll that shot put ball, and where did it get her—?), a voice came into hearing range.

“Hey.” Kaede turned her attention to the side of her—and it was a testament to how exhausted she was that she couldn’t bring herself to react—and witnessed a little pink… puffball (that was its shape; that was the only word that could describe the ‘person’ before her) walking up. He seemed to be wearing some sort of concerned expression on his face, looking to the world like all he wanted to do was just go up and give the Pianist a hug. “Are you… Are you alright? You look like you need a friend.”

There was a lot Kaede wanted to say. _‘No, I really don’t. I’m just a monster, somebody who’s **killed** someone else, I don’t deserve any sympathy—’_

But… she was tired.

Tired and lonely and exhausted and depressed and… _everything._

She needed this.

“…yeah. I do,” she admitted. The little puffball walked up a little closer, hopped into her lap, and—as best he could, given his stubby hands—gave Kaede a warm hug. She hesitated a little, before finally returning it and letting her tears fully engulf her face.

* * *

_Miracles can be defined as events that bring together something wonderful._

_Is it any stretch of the imagination to say that this wasn’t a miracle unto itself?_

_This planet, so defined by its status as a **World of Miracles** …_

_Perhaps it could be the place where harmony, once killed, could live again._

* * *

“My name’s **Kirby** ,” the puffball introduced himself after Kaede had released all of the tears from her eyes (and boy, wasn’t _that_ kind of embarrassing?), a warm smile perched upon his mouth. “I’m the… let’s say, resident ‘protagonist’ here in **Dream Land**. Who’re you?”

That last sentence was rather… weird to hear _(What is a Dream Land, exactly?),_ but hearing the word ‘protagonist’ again… It reminded her of the leader she’d been, just a few scant hours ago ( _Had it been a few hours?_ she wondered. _How much time had passed, since…?)._ Her own introduction came as such:

“I’m… **Kaede Akamatsu** ,” she stated. “I guess I was the… former ‘protagonist’ of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.” (And boy, didn’t that hurt to say.) “Oh, and I’m the Ultimate Pianist. It’s… It’s nice to meet you.”

“Kaede Akamatsu, Kaede Akamatsu…” Kirby repeated softly. “That’s a pretty cute name, actually.”

Despite herself, Kaede blushed a little. “Y-You, uhh—You really think so?” she stammered out, her eyes flickering away as embarrassment built up within her. “T-Thanks, I guess?” Internally, she was thinking, _J-Jeez, did he have to say it like that?_ _I don’t think I’ve felt this flustered since… since ever!_

“You know,” he then started to say, “I’ve grown accustomed to seeing… unexpected visitors around, though you’re pretty different from the norm. So… what’s this ‘Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles’ place like, anyway? What’s your story? You didn’t die or anything, did you?”

“That’s a… long story.” A very long story, if she was being honest—how was she to explain Ultimate talents and the Killing Game to a guy who didn’t even look like he belonged in the world she knew? (And that wasn’t even mentioning what she’d done.) “And maybe I’ll find the time to explain it all later. I… I did d-die, though. I can… tell you that much.”

_And there it was, the noose on her neck, getting tighter and tighter and tighter **and tighter** and it just— **won’t—stop—**_

She gulped. _D-Don’t think about it, Kaede. Don’t think about it. You’re not there anymore. You—You’re perfectly fine now._

(Her words didn’t exactly soothe her own mind, though.)

“And…” she began to add. “I don’t really know… why I’m here. How I came back.” _Why I was chosen to come back,_ she didn’t amend.

“Pop Star’s magic’s weird like that,” Kirby airily dismissed, though not out of any malice. “If it saw something it liked in you—and I’m sure there’s a lot of that in there—then, well… You’re here now, right?” He patted her back. “I’ve only met you for a few minutes, but I can tell you’re a good person.”

“…do… do you really think so?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah. I do. I know from experience. So… look a little happier, will you? I think a smile would really suit you more.”

That was something she honestly needed to her. Her tear-streaked face couldn’t help but smile at such unbridled goodwill.

Maybe, somehow, on this ‘Pop Star’, she could find a way to put the pieces back together. A way to put _herself_ back together.

(And maybe, just maybe… she could find a way let harmony thrive again.

It wouldn’t be easy, but then again… nothing ever was.)

* * *

As had been safely confirmed earlier, it was nighttime here in Dream Land (otherwise referred to as ‘Darkness Time’ in the Ultimate Academy)… and that meant Kaede needed a place to sleep. Because she didn’t have a dorm anymore. _It felt pretty oppressive, if I’m being honest,_ she internally mused. _…I wonder how Shuichi is doing._

She may be alive now, but… Shuichi and the others didn’t know that. Was he alright? Would he be able to fulfill her wish?

…was he still keeping himself together, even after she had quite literally died for him and everyone else?

(She shook her head. _I can’t think about it now, even if I really want to,_ she admonished herself. _I have something else I need to focus on.)_

“So, you need a place to say?” Kirby asked the unspoken question. Kaede blinked in shock; how’d he guess that so easily? “It was pretty obvious, you know,” he grinned. “I mean, it _is_ nighttime, and you just popped out of nowhere and all. I don’t suppose you got a house teleported along with you?”

After getting her composure back together, she sheepishly said, “I’m not that lucky, sadly,” _Not unless Monokuma likes ripping out dorm rooms and tossing them into another world when people die._ (And the chances of that were lower than low.)

Her options were pretty limited at this point. She didn’t have a house, or a sleeping bag, or any survival skills, or—anything, really, beyond her clothes, her bag, and her Monopad (would it still even work here?). “I… I guess I’ll sleep in the trees, or something.” _It’s more than what I deserve, anyway,_ she thought bitterly.

“The _trees?_ Unless you’re like Coo—” _(Who’s Coo?_ she pondered) “—I don’t think you’ll really be comfortable up there.” An idea then visibly came to his mind, his face instantly brightening up. “Hey, why don’t you stay at my house for the night? I’ve got plenty of room; I don’t really mind!”

“N-No no, it’s fine!” Kaede tried to decline. “I’m—I’m sure I can find someplace, I wouldn’t want to impede or anything!”

“What’s the harm? Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve had a sleepover of sorts!” Without hesitating, Kirby went up and grabbed the Pianist’s hand. “C’mon, it’ll be fun! I’ve got a sleeping bag you can use, too!”

For a moment—one painful moment—Kirby’s insistence reminded her of Kaito’s stubbornness, Tenko’s hardheadedness, even Gonta’s eternal niceness. His bright eyes, his happy smile, his offer to let her stay a while… (Was she going to be seeing that more? Her friends in other people now?)

 _Well, I guess I don’t really have a lot to lose._ “Alright,” she conceded the fight. “I’ll go.”

“That’s great!” he cheered. “Let’s get moving, then!” Immediately, Kirby started darting off through the plains, dragging along Kaede for the ride. “My house is this way – come on!”

“W-Whoa, hey!” The poor Pianist was stumbling and trying to keep her footing – Kirby was a lot stronger than he looked! “Slow down, I can’t keep up!”

* * *

**Dream Land – Kirby’s House**

Kirby’s house was fairly quaint, all things considered – it was literally just a small white dome. Despite that – and the fact that the house’s interior consisted basically of a small bed, a shelf, and a fireplace – it felt far more homely than the Ultimate Academy’s dormitories could ever hope to be.

Kaede could really tell the bed was made only for Kirby – a toddler probably wouldn’t even be able to sleep in it! Yet somehow, the puffball had a perfectly, normally human-sized sleeping bag with him – for ‘when Adeleine visits,’ he explained, ‘though I’m probably going to need to get another one now…’ (and she had no idea who Adeleine was but that wasn’t exactly important).

And now here she was, staring up at the ceiling, struggling to get to sleep. Today had been one of the longest days she had ever had – the cameras, the anticipation, the investigation, the Class Trial… and now inexplicably coming back from the dead. And that wasn’t even counting Kirby and the new land she had found herself in.

Idly, Kaede’s gaze turned to Kirby. He was sleeping soundly with a cute little blue sleeping cap on his head. _He looks so peaceful,_ she thought. _Is Shuichi like that right now, too?_ Against her better judgement, her mind started to wander back to her fellow classmates – her fellow friends. They may not have known each other for that long, but… she’d like to believe they’d built up a bit of a bond in the short time they were together. (Especially with Shuichi.)

And then there was…

 _…Rantaro,_ she remembered.

(His body, sprawled out all over the floor, a bloodstained pink splattering from the back of his head and a shot put ball nearby just as well _you are a murderer it was you who set that shot put ball to roll and **you know exactly what you’ve done—)**_

Kaede shut her eyes. “Don’t think about it, _don’t think about it,”_ she whispered to herself, her hands clenching into fists. “Yes, I did it; _yes,_ I got what I deserved.” She shuffled around in her sleeping bag, letting her face dig into the pillow. “…please. Just—just let me sleep. I’ll make it up to him someday. I promise.”

_I want to atone. I really do. I know this is going to be something that’ll haunt me the rest of my life, no matter what happens from here on out._

She glanced back toward Kirby, that same smile from earlier still on his peaceful face. Another fear started building up inside her— _What if Kirby finds out about what I’ve done? How I got here?_

_…will he hate me? Despise me?_

She didn’t know, and she wasn’t sure she _wanted_ to know.

But… Kirby didn’t seem like the type of person to do anything like that, anyway. (But she wasn’t the type of person to normally murder someone in cold blood, either.) He’d understand; she’d have to hope he’d understand.

_…I’m not sure what the future holds for me now, but… I promise that I’ll do whatever I can to make the most of my second chance. For everyone I had to leave behind, I’ll live my new life the best I can._

_And maybe someday, I’ll find a way back to you all._

_That’s a promise—a **wish** —that I’ll try my best to keep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because she deserved better. _Everyone_ did.
> 
> This isn’t going to be a main project or anything – I mean, I have several other fics ongoing already – it’ll just be something I come back to here and now. I anticipate the chapters for this fic being fairly short, so don’t expect any extravagantly long word counts like I usually end up doing.
> 
> I’m writing this primarily because… well, I love the DRV3 crew, and they deserved so, _so_ much more than what they ended up getting. And Kirby’s world is the perfect place for fluffy bullshit like this to happen. (He’s shaped like a friend, y’know? And it’s not like he doesn’t have experience with inexplicable resurrections or anything…)
> 
> Besides, who doesn’t like a healthy dose of fluff every now and then?
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – next time, the ball really starts to get rolling for Kaede. See you around then!


	2. Wake Up, Living Day-by-Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s a brand new world, and with it comes a new landscape, new people, and—most importantly—a new start. There’s a lot awaiting Kaede in this colorful World of Peace, and Kirby’s all too happy to let her see every little bit of it.
> 
> First stop: Castle Dedede.

**Dream Land – Kirby’s House**

Kaede’s eyes opened as sunlight streaked through the windows. _That dream… Shuichi._ The dream she had had last night—it had been her first meeting with Shuichi, from when she (and he) had bounded out of the lockers. _Huh. It feels like it was so long ago… But it’s only been a few days since._

She laid in her sleeping bag for a while after awakening, staring up at the white, domed-shaped ceiling that encompassed Kirby’s house. “So, this is my life now, huh?” she murmured. Away from the Ultimate Academy, away from her friends – she was completely free in this new world now, though not necessarily free of her past sins. But… where was she to go with this new freedom?

(And would she be able to move on from Rantaro? From _Shuichi?_

Would… Would such a day ever come to be possible?)

She sighed. “What am I supposed to do now?” she asked herself. Unfortunately, answers weren’t so forthcoming – especially since it was the air she was talking to.

She stayed inside her makeshift bed for quite a while, contemplating a new way forward. In fact, it was so long, that she forgot to pay any attention to her general surroundings. Which meant that she would be unable to see any surprises coming.

Air was inhaled, a loudspeaker was placed next to her, and then—

 ** _“Goooooooood_ morning, Kaedeeeeee!”** Kirby’s gigantic greeting loudly blasted in her ear – and we _do_ mean loudly! – and she jolted straight up and out of her bedsheets with a yelp. Her enhanced hearing hadn’t helped the situation; it just made the ringing in her ears even worse!

“Holy crap!” she exclaimed, stumbling about and falling to the floor on her butt. After shaking her head in an attempt to relieve her rattled head, she turned to Kirby – who had a big grin on his face, and was wearing a pair of headphones for some reason. (She’d be appreciating them if she weren’t so mad.) Kaede crossed her arms and glared at the pink puffball. “H-Hey, was that really necessary!? My ears are kind of sensitive, you know!”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t _that_ bad!” Kirby said cheekily. His headphones and loudspeaker dissolved into a star that bounced wildly across the room. (Then it just ‘poofed’ away, which only served to make Kaede more confused.) “It got you up, didn’t it? I count that as a success in my book!”

“Jeez… What kind of ‘success’ needs to be so _loud?”_ It somehow beat the intensity of Monokuma’s ‘get to murdering already’ video, which was already high in volume enough.

“This kind of success, of course!” His cheeky smile seemed to only get wider and wider the more she looked at it. Something told her he did this type of thing a lot, based purely on his utterly sassy tone. (Where had _that_ come from?) “Just sleeping the day off wouldn’t be very fun, anyway!”

Kaede sighed. _I guess I can put aside the whole ‘my ears are ringing’ part… for now._ “Alright, alright, I get it, jeez…” she groaned, hauling herself off of the ground. That may have been one of the rudest awakenings she’d ever experienced (does it count as an awakening if you were already awake?), but—well, she _was_ up now.

A sudden realization then hit her. “Hey, I just realized something…” She looked around the house. “…where’s your bathroom?” There wasn’t any to be seen at all – or anything in the way of other rooms in general, for that matter.

“I’m a puffball,” Kirby nonchalantly explained. “Don’t really need one when you don’t need to ‘go’. Or brush your teeth. Or shower, since I can use the Bubble ability and all. Why do you ask?”

Half of that explanation made no sense – _What is a ‘Bubble ability’?_ she briefly wondered – but she got the general idea: Kirby didn’t have or need a bathroom. Which was… not exactly a good thing, since she still kind of needed to use one regularly.

 _Wait… Now that I think about it… Did **I** even shower last night?_ A quick review of her memories told her—no. She hadn’t, in fact, showered at all. “Oh god,” she said, her face scrunching up into disgust. “Don’t tell me…” Quickly, she looked down at herself – and then she also remembered that she hadn’t changed her clothes last night, either. She flailed her arms about in panic. “H-How badly do I smell!? Is—Is it terrible!? W-Wait, don’t answer that!”

The panic on her face was enough to make Kirby burst out laughing. “Oh, _that’s_ what you’re worried about?” the pink puffball chuckled. “Relax! It’s only been a single day; it’s not like you’re Wario with his eternal garlic stench or anything.” His eyes were sparkling so bright, it was hard not to be infected by his sheer optimism. Admittedly, it was doing a pretty good job at getting her calmed down.

“Besides, you’ll get your chance where we’re doing! I guarantee you, you’re gonna love Castle Dedede.” He skipped toward the front door, turning back briefly to conclude, “Meet me outside when you’re ready, alright?”

As he exited and the door shut closed behind him, Kaede was left standing in the middle of the house, once more in contemplation. _He makes this look so easy,_ she thought. _It’s like he never has to worry about anything._

_( **And he’s likely never had to worry about a murderer at his doorstep,** a rebellious voice within her whispered. **A murderer like you.** )_

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the voice. “No, no—I can’t think like that now,” she muttered, clapping her palms on her cheeks. “I gotta stay positive. It’s a new chance! There’s a lot waiting out there. I can’t hesitate now.”

She looked up, a confident stare directed toward the door that was standing between her and her new life. There wasn’t any time limit to block her; no shot put ball or tightening noose to distract her in a sense. All she had to do now—was take that first step forward, and see for herself what awaited in the colorful world of Dream Land.

She picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders, just as usual. Double-checking over her pink vest and skirt for any ruffles or wrinkles (and thankfully, there weren’t any—a bad first impression here would definitely not do her any favors), she nodded to herself. “Right. Let’s go.”

She walked forward, and opened the door.

* * *

**Dream Land – Green Gardens**

_Dream Land’s definitely something else,_ Kaede decided.

Indeed, the sheer amount of greenery and flora abound in these fields was like nothing she had ever seen before. That wasn’t even mentioning the enormous ring structures hanging about in the background – there was one so huge, it was spawning a waterfall! It was so far removed from the sterility and falsehoods of the Ultimate Academy’s courtyard, it was almost unbelievable.

“And _this_ is where you live?” she was saying as the two of them walked, still kind of gaping at everything.

“Yep!” Kirby popped the ‘p’. “It’s my home, and I’m proud of it! Came here over twenty-five years ago and I’ve never regretted it.” Based on the reminiscent tone in his voice, he had plenty of fond memories built up from his stay here. _(I kind of wish I could say the same,_ Kaede mused.) “Sure, there’s the occasional trouble every now and then, but… there’s a reason Dream Land is called the ‘ **World of Peace** ’.”

The crickets chirping and the butterflies flying reinforced his words.

“…it’s beautiful,” Kaede whispered. Against the clear sky and the bright sun, it looked to all the world that this was a true paradise made manifest. _( **You don’t deserve it,** _ that voice snarled, but she ignored it the best she could.) “I’ve… I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Kirby smiled. “Not many people have.” His eyes glazed over the evergreen fields beyond as the butterflies continue to flutter on. “It’s a miracle unto itself.”

“A miracle…” Somehow, that word seemed ever more potent than it ever had back home. “…yeah, you’re right. It really is.”

The two walked forward in silence, the Pianist taking the time to further appreciate the tranquility of the Green Gardens of Dream Land. A thought fluttered through her mind again— _I think Shuichi would’ve really liked to see this. Him, and everyone else too._

_…I miss them already._

The silence continued, though it wasn’t an unbearable one. It was… of peace, ironically enough. It gave Kaede plenty of time to just bask in all the colors of the rainbow represented in the Green Gardens. _It’s like a whole symphony transformed into actual, physical life. It’s—It’s amazing._

They spent quite a while just walking like this – that is, until Kirby stopped for a bit. “There it is,” he said.

Kaede blinked. “Where _what_ is?” She looked ahead, and saw the ‘it’ that Kirby was referring to. A small, brown, rocky mountain lay before the duo, with a winding path leading straight to a similarly compact castle. It looked fairly ornate and had a pair of crescent windows close to its top, which could be interpreted as eyes when combined with the large gate. “Oh. That. Huh.”

Repeat—it was a castle.

A _castle._

“Surprised?” Kirby asked. “That’s **Mt. Dedede** , with Castle Dedede on top. The residence of one of my best friends. Ain’t it a thing of beauty?”

“Y-Yeah,” Kaede breathed. “It is.” It was a real, genuine castle. How was that _not_ something to talk about? (Though, considering how fantasy-like Dream Land already was, she supposed it was to be expected.) “We’re going _there?”_

“Of course! We’ve gotta start somewhere, and this is the best place I can think of!” The puffball marched on forward, clearly confident in his choice of location. “Dedede doesn’t mind visitors, so everything should work out fine!”

“Well, if you say so…” she said. _Nothing so far seems dangerous, so… this shouldn’t be, either. At least, that’s what I hope._ “Hey, does that mean we’ll be eating breakfast there, too? I’m getting a little hungry and all…”

“Yep!” Kirby confirmed. “Dedede always has a lot of food – he’s even got a fridge stuffed with cakes just for me! Pretty great, huh?” He was beaming with pride, though she wasn’t quite sure if this was anything to be prideful about. “I come to eat his cakes all the time. Mmm… I can just imagine the shortcakes in my mouth now…” And now he was drooling.

Meanwhile, Kaede was thinking. _A fridge of **just** cakes? Seriously?_ “Isn’t that kind of… unhealthy?” the Pianist tentatively queried. “Eating so many cakes isn’t exactly a good diet.”

“Eh, that’s not a problem I have to deal with!” he dismissed. He patted the place where his stomach would be. “Bottomless stomach, baby! I can eat whatever I want and be perfectly fine!”

“W-Wait, really?” Kaede stammered. “You can eat _anything?”_

“Well, there are some things I won’t eat – Palutena has barely any idea how to cook, dear NOVA – but everything else is fair game! I can even swallow non-food things: bombs, bicycles, star bullets, you name it!”

It all seemed so unbelievable, the claims Kirby was declaring. (Though the prospect of Kirby eating bicycles whole was a pretty enticing concept, if she was being honest. She, err—didn’t really like bicycles.) But the things she had seen in Dream Land already, combined with the events of the Killing School Semester, had eroded quite a bit of her suspension of disbelief.

 _I mean, it’s not entirely out of the question,_ she thought. _You know what they say, don’t underestimate people just based on their appearance!_ Like—Ryoma was short for his age, but that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve his status as the Ultimate Tennis Pro. (And wouldn’t it be nice to see something bright and happy again?) “That sounds pretty cool,” she replied honestly. “Maybe you could show me that sometime. If you say you can do all of that, it has to be pretty spectacular.”

“Oh ho ho,” Kirby grinned, “You have _no_ idea.”

* * *

**Castle Dedede – Entrance**

“Whoa,” Kaede breathed.                            

If the Ultimate Academy’s courtyard couldn’t even begin to compare to the Green Gardens, the same could be said with the academy itself compared to Castle Dedede. (Seeing as Castle Dedede was an actual living space rather than a glorified prison… that wasn’t very surprising.) Seeing it from afar was a far cry from being all up and personal. Where the Ultimate Academy felt lifeless, Castle Dedede felt very much _alive._

The entrance to the castle was swath with little brown creatures—similar in stature to Kirby, noticeably enough—who waddled around and carried spears. They were a fresh breath of air in comparison to the Monokubs and their mechanical Exisals. They were real, living, breathing people – and they were also pretty cute. Like, adorably so. That helped.

The gate ahead was something else, too. It was wide and massive, two gigantic doors which didn’t need to be so gigantic (because what kind of visitor would be that tall?), but they really led credence to the fact that this was a castle.

“Impressive, huh?” Kirby said, keenly observing the Pianist’s amazed expression. “And I get to see this place all the time.” Then, he suddenly perked up out of nowhere. “Oh hey, look! The gate’s open already!” he noticed. “I can see Dedede and Dee now!”

“Hold up—really?” Indeed, the front gate was already wide open. Kaede could see inside to see sweeping hallways of even more little waddlers (a term she’d probably be using until she found a better one), spears and parasols and trays and all types of things in their hands as they waddled around. The halls inside were large and bright and amazingly yellow, and if she squinted, she could see a bunch of framed photographs on the wall – but that wasn’t what was most intriguing.

Standing in front of the open gates was what looked like a fairly stout blue penguin dressed up in regal clothing. _Wow, he looks like a king!_ Kaede noticed— _Wait, this is a castle. Of course he would be dressed like a king; he probably **is** a king! _ He was accompanied by another waddler, this one being a darker orange and wearing a cute blue bandana on his _(her?)_ head.

The penguin was looking down at his wrist, as if he were checking the time. _(But he doesn’t have a watch?_ she thought. _Or at least, one I can see…)_ The little waddler beside him was tugging at his robes, jumping and trying to direct his attention toward the two incoming visitors. The supposed king looked confused for a moment, before he looked up and his face brightened up.

 _“Hey!”_ he greeted loudly, waving a hand widely in the air. _“Kirby, there you are!”_

“ **Dedede!** **Bandana Dee!** ” Kirby went up to the two with a typical smile on his face. _(Is that actually Dedede?_ she thought. _If so, then… huh.)_ “Having a good morning?”

“You know Dream Land,” Dedede laughed. “We get good mornings all the time. ‘Course, I wouldn’t have anything different. Peace and quiet has its charm.”

“T-That’s what I like, t-too!” the little waddler—Bandana Dee, she now knew him as—added his two cents. “One crisis annually already takes enough a toll on us!”

“Hey, it’s not like they’re all that bad! They’re just as much adventures, too.” As their conversation continued, Kaede looked at the three of them with something resembling sadness. _They’re pretty good friends,_ she internally mused. _It… It reminds me of me and Shuichi, before I…_ Her mind went silent. She shook her head. _Jeez, why am I still hung up over this? I told myself I’d try to move on! Just go up there already!_

The Pianist went up to them as they chatted around (with topics she didn’t exactly understand or know about). Dedede and Bandana Dee paused, turning to look at her with a bit of surprise. Kirby caught on pretty quickly, thankfully. “Oh, that’s right!” he said. “I made another friend last night!” To her, he urged, “Go on. Introduce yourself!”

Although she was a little more nervous than she’d like to admit, she wasn’t about to let that stop her. “H-Hey,” she waved. “I’m Kaede Akamatsu. I’m the Ultimate Pianist.” That title may not hold much grandeur here in Dream Land, but it was still an important part of herself she’d like to keep. “It’s—It’s nice to meet you.”

“Wow,” Bandana Dee awed, “You’re _tall!_ You’re like if Adeleine had a huge growth spurt all of a sudden!”

“Uhhh… Thanks?” Kaede put a hand on her head in confusion. “Though I don’t think I’m that tall, really…” _Is it weird that I’m getting a little flustered over being complimented like this? I don’t really know what to say!_

“Another new friend, eh?” Dedede mused. “Well, that’s not entirely surprising – Kirby can make a friend out of anything that moves.” _(“It’s true!”_ the puffball cheekily chimed in.) “Well, enough about that. I’m King Dedede, and this is my faithful companion, Bandana Dee.” Bandana Dee jumped up and down in recognition. “I’m the ruler of Dream Land. Since you seem new ‘round here, I guess I can give you a little tour!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from the lyrics to _Reach for the Stars,_ by Cash Cash.
> 
> It’s gonna take a while for Kaede to really get integrated into Dream Land, so forgive me if things remain pretty slow for now. I picked Castle Dedede as the starting place for the ‘tour’ for a good reason: Dedede (and Dee) at this point are pretty much Kirby’s best friends; it only feels right to kick off the party with them.
> 
> As you can no doubt tell, Kaede isn’t going to be all sunshine and smiles all the time. After all, she’s just gone through the consequences of having to ‘participate’ in a Killing Game – and what she’s done isn’t just going to go away in the blink of an eye. Now, I’m not entirely an expert on trauma and guilt and subjects like that work – I mean, I’m just an amateur writer – but I’ll try my best to make things as natural as possible.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for when Dedede shares some dapper delicacies! (And maybe another friend joining in as well…)


	3. From the Works of Yesterday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _This castle is really something else,_ so thinks Kaede. It felt so much more bustling, so much more _alive_ than the Ultimate Academy – so much so that it was almost overwhelming. (But that’s not the only thing that threatens to overwhelm her…)

**Castle Dedede – Hallway**

_Look at all the little waddlers walking around,_ Kaede was mentally noting, her eyes looking about the large interior that made up Castle Dedede. Waddlers carrying trays, waddlers carrying spears, waddlers— _reading a book?_ She frowned. _That seems kinda… unsafe?_ she thought, noting how the little waddler nearly bumped into another of his kind.

Didn’t they say how much of a bad idea it was to read and walk? (Technically, the term was ‘text and walk,’ but—ehh…)

Either way, there was certainly a great amount of _life_ within the walls of Castle Dedede. And it didn’t hurt that the wallpapers were bright and colorful enough to brighten up one’s day. _I can’t imagine living in something like this…_

“You like it?” King Dedede asked, a grin on his lips at Kaede’s awe. “You look like you’ve never seen something like this before.”

Kaede jumped, jolted out of her thoughts. “O-Oh no, it—it’s not _quite_ like that!” she insisted, struggling to articulate what she was feeling. “It’s just that… the last place I was in… wasn’t as hospitable.” _Understatement of the century._ “I’ve never seen so many people around like this, either…”

“You mean my Waddle Dees?” He laughed. “Yeah, they’re certainly something else, huh?” A duo of Waddle Dees— _I didn’t think they were **actually** named for their waddling,_ the Pianist internally remarked—walked past the quartet of characters, the King giving them a little wave ‘Hello!’ as they did. They waved back, clearly as happy as King Dedede was feeling. _(So much different from the Monokubs…)_ “I can’t imagine life without them now, honestly.”

Bandana Dee bounced up and down. “I can’t imagine life without Great King, either!” he chimed in. “I wouldn’t have anyone else in his place—not even Kirby!”

“Hey!” Kirby cried back, a faux-insulted look on his face.

“You’re pretty loyal to him, huh?” Kaede remarked quietly. That kind of loyalty…

 _~~(‘I just… wanted to tell you. No matter what.’)~~ _ ~~~~

…it really spoke to her. _( **Like you deserve to know it,**_ that voice snarled again.)

“Yep,” the Dee confirmed. “He’s the greatest King we could have.” If he could smile, he probably would be right now.

Kaede looked again at the Dees. To Dedede, she asked, “So… are those guys your servants?” The trays and spears already told much of the story, but it never hurt to make sure. ~~(Just like it never hurt to reveal the truth.)~~

“You could say that!” Dedede replied. “They’ve been with me for over twenty-five years. I give them shelter, they help out ‘round the castle, and together we defend Dream Land from whatever Eldritch Abomination wants to visit us this year. You know, the usual.”

“I-I’m sorry, what?” _What_ was that last part? ‘Eldritch Abomination’???

“It’s a long story,” Kirby waved it off, speaking of it as if it were an everyday routine. (Was it?) “Trust me, that kind of stuff won’t be a problem for at least another year or two. You don’t need to worry about it at all.”

“A-At least, I _hope_ you won’t n-need to…” Bandana Dee added at the end. “Y-You can n-never really tell…” Well, didn’t _that_ sounded ominous.

“That only makes me want to hear about it more,” Kaede said. “But… I guess I can take your word for it.” _I’ve already got a lot to think about, anyway._

“Besides,” Dedede continued, “if such a day ends up coming too soon… well, that’s what my friends are for! We’ll just take ‘em down like we usually do!”

Kaede looked about at the portraits hanging on the walls. There were quite a bit spaced out from each other, each one displaying Dedede alongside a group of other characters – his friends, presumably. Various figures of shapes and sizes accompanied him: some had wings, some wore masks; some were animal-y, some were blobby. To say they were a colorful cast was a bit of an understatement. (It reminded her of her friends again. Oh, how her heart still ached.)

She wondered if she’d get to meet all of them one day. (And maybe even re-meet her friends, too. ~~If they’d ever take her back.)~~

“That reminds me – you haven’t had anything to eat yet, huh?” Dedede’s question threw the Pianist out of her thinking.

“Well, uhh… Not really? I was… kind of hoping I’d get some breakfast here, actually.” She put a hand on her head in embarrassment. _Gee—look at me, just going up and asking for some food right off the bat! Am I really doing that!?_ she admonished herself. Her stomach taking the time to growl loudly didn’t help with that, as she fought to keep a blush from coming on her face. _Oh, don’t act now, stomach! You’re not helping!_

“Oh, right!” Kirby perked up too. “I’m hungering for some _cake!_ Strawberry shortcake!”

Dedede chuckled. “It’s always cake with you, isn’t it?” _(Again,_ Kaede thought, _that seems like a really unhealthy diet.)_ “Alrighty, then! Let’s go get you two some grub to eat! I haven’t had anything yet, either, so—consider this a freebie! Come here, I’ll bring you around to the dining area.”

* * *

**Castle Dedede – Dining Room**

The dining room, unsurprisingly, was fairly large. (It was a castle; could it really be anything less?) Amidst all the royal decorations and the ornate windows stood a horizontally long, white-clothed table, several seats sitting on the sides and a throne-like chair at one of the ends. That one was clearly meant for King Dedede himself – not only because he was the ruler of Dream Land, but because it looked like the only seat that would really fit him well. (Which probably meant he needed to cut back on his calorie intake, or something.)

Several Waddle Dees were running about, setting up the table with utensils and plates and napkins and et cetera. Seeing them in action was a spectacle in itself; they were moving perfectly in sync and with a precision Kaede had never seen before. _And they do this every day?_ she gaped. _They’re almost as good as Kirumi!_

King Dedede waltzed on up to his personal chair and plopped down on it. “Ahhhhhh!” he sighed in bliss. “I never tire of sitting in this chair. So comfortable…”

“You say that every time you sit in it,” Kirby remarked with a snicker. “You should make it your bed then, if you like it that much.”

“Nah! I couldn’t do that. It’s a great chair and all, but it’s definitely not kingly enough to serve as my bed!” Dedede laughed. _He sure took that in stride,_ Kaede observed. _If it had been Miu saying that to me, I wouldn’t have taken it nearly as well. Then again, Miu **does** have a rather… questionable vocabulary… among other things…_

“Annnnyway—Dees! We’re gonna need some food! You know, the usual!” At their King’s command, the Waddle Dees close to the table saluted and rushed into the kitchen, diving in one after the other through the doors. Two others took a stance beside the end-of-table throne, spears at the ready for any would-be intruder. _I wonder how they’d fare against Monokuma?_

An image popped to mind—specifically, of a bunch of Waddle Dees swarming Monokuma while he tried to shake it off. Just all of them, whacking at him with nothing but their bare hands.

It was an amusing idea, if nothing else.

If only it could’ve been real.

 _( **But you sacrificed it all away,**_ the voice hissed again. ** _And for what? Just so you could fulfill your own selfish desires?_**

 _T-They weren’t selfish!_ Kaede tried to fight back. _They… They were for—!)_

Dedede turned to Kaede, who hadn’t taken a single step beyond entering the room. “Hey,” he grinned, “you just gonna stand there, or…?”

“O-Oh!” she jumped again. She was doing that a lot, wasn’t she? _Jeez, what’s wrong with me today?_ “R-Right—I’ll sit! Just… give me a moment!” The Pianist hobbled over to a nearby chair and awkwardly sat down in it. She felt pretty uncomfortable with her given surroundings – only natural, since this was a _royal castle_ and she was nowhere near that type of level. Or at least—she didn’t _think_ so. (Being an Ultimate didn’t really count on that front.)

She shuffled about and looked around. Bandana Dee was sitting right beside her, his eyes shining with admiration—(already!?)—for Dream Land’s latest guest. Opposite from her seat was Kirby, who was happily sitting upside down for… some reason. He was also stretching – though calling it ‘stretching’ was a bit of a… stretch _(That was terrible,_ she snarked at herself), seeing as his arms were little more than stubs.

The four of them sat there for a little, the Pianist unwilling to speak up because—what right did she have, when it was _she_ who was the intruder amongst this cast? She should be dead, by all accounts— _ ~~(and maybe it would be better if she was)~~ —_

Bandana Dee was the first to break the silence. “S-So!” he began, turning to Kaede with sparkling eyes. _How is it that he can look so cute even without a mouth?_ “Where’d you come from, Kaede? You don’t look like you’re from around here! And you’re so tall, too! You’re like the tallest person I’ve ever met!”

… _He’s still hung up on that?_

“Dee makes a good point,” Dedede commented. “You’re a pretty unusual visitor, even by Pop Star’s standards. What’s your story? There’s gotta be _something_ interesting in there.” He looked just as curious as Bandana Dee, if a bit more subdued. Kaede shuffled about a little more, a nervous expression appearing on her face, and the thought of that—that _noose_ involuntarily came back to her: tying over her neck, _with Shuichi looking at her in total despair and **there’s just—no—escape—**_

She choked a bit. _…Why? Why can’t I escape it?_

_Even when I’m so far away from it—why can’t I escape the Killing Game?_

Dedede noticed her uncomfortableness instantly. (Call him whatever you like; he’s an adult and he knows what to look for.) “Do you… not want to talk about it?” he carefully asked, schooling his face in sympathy. “I mean, that’s okay, too. I know some guys myself who have problems talking about themselves.”

“N-No, it’s—it’s alright,” she denied, doing her best to look upbeat like she usually did ~~(no matter how much of a lie it was right now)~~. “I… I can share a little bit about myself.” _Just the basics. J-Just talk about the basics! That’ll be fine!_ (She ignored the part of herself that was screaming out to tell the truth.)

“Back home, there’s this whole program called the **Ultimate Initative.** ” There, that’s a good place to start. “It’s all about recognizing people for extraordinary talents. That means being the best at what to do – like artistry, folklore, detective work—” She paused briefly, Shuichi immediately coming to mind (was he alright right now?), before she continued her explanation. “A-Anyway, I was part of it. They called me the **Ultimate Pianist.** ”

“Ooh, that sounds cool!” Bandana Dee said. Then he tilted his head. “…what does that mean, exactly?” He looked so adorkable right now, it was almost criminal.

She continued, “Basically, that means that I was really, really good at playing the piano.” Maybe too good, seeing as how it was basically her only hobby. (She remembered worrying once if being a pianist was all that would define her. Well… now she had plenty of other things to worry about. **_~~Like being a murderer.~~_** _)_ “Ever since I was a child, I would play the piano whenever I got bored… There were even times where I played the piano so much, I forgot to eat and sleep.”

“Seriously!?” And now Kirby was looking horrified, because of course he would in relation to food. “Are you okay!? You—You have a good diet, right? Please tell me you have that!”

“You’re one to talk,” Kaede retorted. “From what you’ve told me, you eat stuff like _bombs,_ for crying out loud!” _And that seriously can’t be healthy!_

“Hey, it’s not as bad as it sounds! I mean, they taste alright, if a bit explosive. And a bit tingly, too. I’ve had weirder and less edible things, honestly. Hmm… I wonder what elemental bombs taste like…” He seemed to be intentionally ignoring her flabbergasted face at this point as his mind drifted off. _Seriously!?_ she thought. _Is—Is this just a regular thing here!?_ Judging by how Dedede and Bandana Dee barely looked affected, beyond the former snickering a little bit at her jaw dropping…

_…Jeez, this place is **weird!**_

_And I’ve only been here for about a day!_

It took a bit for Kaede to get her bearings. Slowly, she unhinged her jaw and brought it back closed. “You… You really shouldn’t do stuff like that,” she said after a while. “I mean, that’s just— _dangerous!”_

“Eh, no less dangerous than all the other stuff we’ve seen,” Kirby dismissed. _What does that even **mean!?**_ “You’ll get used to it eventually!”

“Yeah,” Dedede agreed. “Trust me, it stops getting weird after a while.”

 _And how long is ‘a while’!?_ Taking a glance at her increasingly exasperated face, Kirby and King Dedede couldn’t help but laugh. And Kaede couldn’t help but cross her arms, a grumpy look on her face. “D-Don’t laugh! C’mon, that’s… That’s still unsafe,” she grumbled – but she couldn’t bring herself to muster any real frustration at them. They didn’t mean any harm by it.

(…besides: what was the harm of having a little more levity here and there?)

She sighed to herself. “What have I gotten myself into…?”

“Dream Land-brand chaos!” Kirby exclaimed, Dedede whooping alongside him. She elected to ignore them.

Bandana Dee nudged Kaede. “Hey,” he started asking as she turned to him, “are you really good at playing the piano?”

She answered, “It’s basically my whole life, really. They wouldn’t have considered me an Ultimate otherwise. And I really do enjoy it. There’s just something about the symphony that really resonates with me, you know?”

“Oh, oh! I feel the same way about my spear.” To demonstrate, Bandana Dee brought out his trademark weapon from… somewhere _(Where did that come from?_ she mentally asked). She didn’t know a lot about weapons (beyond how to use a shot put ball, of course, _ha ha ha—),_ but it was clear it had seen its fair share of use. “I’ve used this thing since forever, so I guess I can kind of understand! It must be like second nature to you!”

“It is. It’s… It’s all I’m good for, really.” And didn’t _that_ hurt—everything else she did had basically been a failure: Being a leader? She couldn’t keep everyone together. Being a good friend? Look how much she failed everyone. Being a killer, for everyone’s sake? She couldn’t kill the mastermind like she originally intended.

She was a failure in every sense of the term, and that, beyond anything her addled mind could come up with – beyond having failed Shuichi, a part of her whispered – was what hurt most of all. She failed. _She failed **everybody.** And she didn’t have anyone to blame **but herself—**_

“D-Don’t say that!” Bandana Dee interrupted her self-loathing. “Nobody’s just ‘good’ for only one thing!” She looked up; his eyes were determined, his voice declaring with absolute confidence in his words. “You’re a good person, I know that!”

“…no, I’m really not—”

“Yes you are, and—and t-there’s no reason why you should consider yourself any different!” Kaede looked at her tablemate with widened eyes. He seemed so shy before, so this insistence came as a surprise. ~~(It—It really did remind her a little bit of _him.)_~~ “Kirby likes you,” and at this the puffball nodded assent, “so that means you’re good!”

 _That’s… That’s not really proof…_ But Bandana Dee looked so confident in his words that it almost made Kaede want to believe it herself. She sighed. _If they really want to believe it, then—there’s no harm in letting them, right?_ “Okay,” she replied. “If you say so.”

“That’s the spirit!” he cheered.

(Dedede glanced at Kirby, an eyebrow raised. He merely gave out a sympathetic smile in return, his eyes saying: _‘Just give her a little bit of time, Dedede. Trust me.’_

Under his breath, the King muttered, _“I hope you know what you’re doing, Kirby…”)_

* * *

When breakfast finally arrived, it was delicious. Sure, at its core, it was just a bunch of pancakes accompanied by some eggs – but who ever said that simple things didn’t work well? It wasn’t anything like Kirumi’s meals, of course – very few people would be able to match the Ultimate Maid short of an Ultimate Chef – but dang if it wasn’t good. _And King Dedede gets to eat this every day? I’m almost jealous!_

Also of note was the way Bandana Dee ate his food. Kaede had seen a lot of weird things in the last week or so, but—food just phasing through the Dee’s nonexistent mouth ranked fairly high on the WTFery meter. _Well, at least that answers my question of how he eats._

 _…something tells me I should keep him and the other waddlers away from Kokichi, if he ever comes here._ The amount of poking and prodding the Ultimate Supreme Leader would most likely do made her shudder.

Kirby, meanwhile, was digging into his slice of cake with an unnatural fervor, looking absolutely joyous as he shoved each bite into his mouth. _“Ohhhhh,_ yeah,” he moaned happily, “that’s the stuff.” His voice was a little muffled from the cake going down his throat (or whatever passed for it),

_…I think he’s enjoying that a little too much._

“Hmm…” Dedede hummed. “I think I need to restock a little on my supply of cakes. Maybe tomorrow? That sounds like a good time…”

“Do you have to bake cakes _all_ the time?” Kaede asked. “That seems kind of ridiculous.”

“It’s either that, or risk Kirby going on a rampage again,” he shrugged. “I’ve had enough of that after the Squeak Squad incident.”

“…whuh?” Rampage? Squeak Squad incident? “Uhh, okay then.” _Something tells me I don’t want to know right now,_ she thought.

Strangely, Bandana Dee shifted around a bit when Dedede mentioned those terms. Kaede had no idea why, but she figured there was _probably_ some history behind that.

Eventually, breakfast concluded, and as the four of them stood up from the table, she had to admit: “That was pretty good. I’ve never had pancakes like that before.”

“You likey?” Kirby grinned. “This is why I come here all the time! There’s always something delicious waiting to be eaten here!” He licked the area around his mouth, crumbs having gotten there while he was eating.

Dedede snorted. “Yeah, at the cost of my wallet.”

“We don’t even have a currency here, Dedede, you can’t use that excuse.”

“Well, I can try, right? It's not like I don’t have a wallet or anything.”

“You only use it when we’re at the Smash World; it still doesn’t count!”

“It certainly counts for whenever I give you a clobberin’ now!”

As petty as it was, the banter between Kirby and King Dedede really encapsulated the type of friendship they shared, one forged over the years into something truly remarkable. The glimpses Kaede had caught from the entrance of Castle Dedede really didn’t do it justice. “They’re pretty friendly with each other, huh?” she commented.

“Yep!” Bandana Dee confirmed. “They’ve been like that basically forever! Marx likes to poke fun at it sometimes; that’s how strong it is. I’m just glad Great King has a friend he can rely on!” A thought then visibly came to him. “Oh, that reminds me… We’ve got a grand piano hanging around!”

Kaede perked up. “No way!” she breathed. “Really?”

“Yep! Great King’s kept it in storage all this time because nobody really plays piano around here. Or… music in general. NOVA knows _Kirby_ can’t…” A brief shiver. “A-Anyway, maybe we can go dig it out for you! I’d love to hear how well you can play it!”

“…You know what? I think I’d like that too.” If anything, it’d be a relief to finally get back into familiar territory, something she didn’t have to worry about at all. ~~(Just another way to run away from her problems.)~~ “It’d be nice to get back into piano playing again – I wouldn’t want to get out of practice!” she laughed.

At last, Kirby and Dedede stopped their ‘argument’, for lack of a better term, and the latter turned to Kaede with a smile on his face. “So, Kaede,” he began, “how’re you enjoying the tour of Casa de Dedede?”

(“I thought it was Castle Dedede,” Kirby snarked from the background.)

“It’s great,” she said honestly, and let’s face it, anything was better than being back at the Ultimate Academy. **_(Don’t you feel so privileged,_** that sinister voice spat, ** _getting to escape like this while all your friends continue to suffer—)_** “It’s like magic compared to—well, my last place of residence.”

“Heh heh heh! I’m glad to hear that!” he laughed. “And I’ve got a lot more to show you beyond just this!” His hands gestured toward the rest of the castle, with Bandana Dee nearby hopping up and down. “I think you’ll like it just as much—”

“Great King!” Suddenly, a pair of Waddle Dees burst into the room, holding a spear and parasol to defend themselves with. They saluted. “We’ve got bad news!” one of them said. “We’ve discovered an intruder in the castle!”

Dedede and Bandana Dee’s eyes widened. “Wh-wh- _WHAAAAAAAAT!?”_ the King exclaimed, his pupils shrinking in shock. His storied assistant was flailing his arms in the air in clear panic.

“S-Seriously!?” Kaede yelped, visibly taken aback. _You’ve gotta be joking! I haven’t even been here that long and stuff like this is already happening!_ (There went her plans for a calm day!)

Kirby’s face briefly flashed with a similar surprise, before being schooled into a determined expression. “Where’s the intruder, then?” he questioned the guard, looking ready to bolt out of the room. “If they’re dangerous, then we can’t let them loose!”

“We’ve currently got the intruder surrounded in the **library!** ” the guard explained. “He hasn’t shown any hostility yet, but some assistance wouldn’t be unappreciated. There’s no telling what he’ll be able to do.”

“T-Then it’s our duty to go over and help!” Bandana Dee declared. “C-C’mon, let’s go, guys!”

Dedede nodded. “I can’t be having unknowns just wandering around like that,” he stated grimly. “If we don’t get this situation over with, there’s a good chance it’ll get out of hand. And that’d be even worse.” Without further hesitation, the King and his trusty assistant rushed out of the dining room, the pair of Waddle Dee guards following suit and leaving just Kirby and Kaede left.

“Well, we can’t just let them go at it alone,” Kirby said. He turned to his new friend with a smile on his face. “You can handle a bit of running, right?”

Kaede bit her lip. On one hand, this was a situation she was in no way prepared for – she was just a Pianist, for crying out loud, whereas everyone else had experience in combat (or so it appeared). But on the other hand, it was likely that she’d be in danger if she went or not, and, well—she didn’t exactly have a lot to lose right now.

“…yeah, I can do that,” she finally said, after a moment of silence. “I won’t get anywhere just running away from everything! I gotta face this head-on!” _Besides… the intruder’s in the library, so that might mean…!_ She stopped that train of thought before it could go any further. _No, I can’t think about that now!_

Kirby's smile widened further at Kaede's declaration. “That’s the spirit!” he said. “Alright – to the library!”

* * *

**Castle Dedede – Library**

The library was, again, a far cry from its equivalent in the Ultimate Academy. The one there was shabby, full of cobwebs and dust (the likes of which not even Kirumi could get rid of), and containing a load of books that were—suffice to say—in terrible condition. _(They smelled, too! Yuck!)_

The Castle Dedede library, meanwhile, looked like – surprise, surprise – a normal library. A regular amount of shelves, books in decent condition, actual windows so it didn’t feel so claustrophobic, and even a few tables and chairs for one to theoretically relax and read in. But at the given moment, it was not currently serving its purpose as a safe spot for book lovers.

No, right now, it was the location of a potential danger, and as such, it was being treated with the utmost caution. Bursting through the doors (and panting heavily; that was _not_ ‘a bit of running’ like Kirby had claimed!), Kaede could see a bunch of Waddle Dee guards surrounding a figure presumably on the floor. But who it was, she couldn’t tell; Dedede and Bandana Dee were blocking her from seeing.

“What’s going on…?” she wondered as she carefully approached the scene. Behind her, Kirby was following, an inexplicable sword and green hat at his disposal (where it had come from, she didn’t know, but she certainly wasn’t going to complain). She could hear several murmurs coming from the crowd, thanks to her enhanced hearing.

_“Wh-Who’s that?”_

_“Is that—Is that a **human!?** ”_

_“No way… That can’t be right…”_

_“But they look nothing **like** Adeleine!”_

The whispers both confused her and unnerved her. _A human?_ she pondered over their words. Another human, appearing out of nowhere, in the _library_ of all places. She froze briefly. _But—But that can only be…!_

“H-Hey!” she spoke up. “Wh-What’s going on, guys?” She had to know. She had to know who this mysterious figure was. (Her conscience wouldn’t allow her not to know.) “Wh-Who’s there?”

Dedede and Bandana Dee turned around toward the two, a serious expression on the former’s face. Dee answered, “I—I don’t know! I’ve—I’ve never seen this person before, and—I don’t know who it could _be!”_

Dedede looked like he already had an idea what was going on. “Hey,” he said to her, “how many other ‘Ultimates’ did you know on your world?”

Kaede's heart skipped a beat. _No way…!_ “I knew fifteen others,” she answered, “but that’s it. You—You can’t be saying…!”

The King stepped out to the side. “You might know this guy, then, if what I’m thinking is right.”

Carefully, she stepped forward, almost frightened to see what lay ahead. She could turn back now; it wasn’t like she _had_ to see. But she’d already told Kirby she wasn’t going to run, and she wasn’t about to break that promise now. _(I've already broken enough.)_ Eventually, the figure on the ground came into view, and—despite having expected it, to an extent—she ended up gasping at who it was anyway.

For on the floor, lying stomach down in a very familiar position (one that haunted her mind still), surrounded by Waddle Dee guards, was a tall, green-haired boy, wearing a blue striped sweater and baggy brown pants amidst a host of other weird accessories. He wasn’t bloody, thankfully enough – he was just as pristine as Kaede was.

His appearance was one Kaede knew well; there wasn’t another Ultimate that looked like him.

(And after all— ** _he was the one you murdered so callously, you know._** _)_

She choked. “ **Rantaro Amami** ,” she recited his identity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from the lyrics to _Live and Learn,_ by Crush 40.
> 
> I showed glimpses of Castle Dedede before in **Are You a Friend, Too?** and **In Times of Crisis** , but I haven’t really shown just what life must be in there on a normal day. With so many Waddle Dees around, it’s gotta be something else, right? Hopefully, I managed to effectively capture what the general atmosphere of Dedede’s life is like. Man, it must be good to be the king.
> 
> (And yes, I am aware of the irony in Kirby saying ‘that kind of stuff won’t be a problem for at least another year’ in the wake of _Star Allies’_ Wave 3 update. Don’t expect that to come into play for this fic.)
> 
> I was going to include some of the Kirby Café stuff for the breakfast scene (Kirby has his own café; how is that not something awesome?), but I have no idea if any of the meals listed were good enough for breakfast. So I just went with pancakes. Basic enough to be satisfactory, methinks.
> 
> By the way—remember how I said this would be Kaede ‘and the crew’ in the summary? Yeah, here’s some of that. (You shouldn’t be too surprised. After all, he did die shortly before Kaede did…)
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for an impromptu reunion!


	4. Where Fears and Lies Melt Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was him.
> 
>  **Rantaro Amami**.
> 
> The Ultimate Question Mark.
> 
> The first victim of the Killing Game.
> 
> The one Kaede murdered so callously.
> 
> …of course. It couldn’t have been anyone else.
> 
> (After all: _it wasn’t like she deserved to be free.)_

_Kaede stared at the door to the library, her anxiety exponentially growing as it continued to loom overhead, despite the fact that it wasn’t all too big to begin with. Unconsciously, she balled her hands into fists. This was it._

_The mastermind was through here._

_“Kaede…” Shuichi said, right beside her. “Let’s go inside.”_

_“…Yeah,” Kaede replied. “Let’s do it.” She watched as Shuichi reached a hand for the doorknob, desperate thoughts racing through her mind._ It’ll be fine. Everything will work out. We’ll make this work. _Somehow, it sounded… hollow in her head. ~~(Especially given what she’d let happen earlier.)~~_

_She was still trying to convince herself when Kaito and Tenko came into view from the corner. The self-proclaimed ‘Luminary of the Stars’ looked a little surprised as he asked, “Huh? What are you guys doing here?”_

_The Pianist and the Detective turned to his direction, and Kaito soon dismissed his earlier question by saying, “Well, never mind. Your timing’s perfect. You should join our strategy meeting.”_

_Tenko chimed in, “Kaede’s definitely welcome to join!” She jeered at Shuichi. “Not you, though. You’re just a degenerate male.” He looked a little disgruntled – but it was nothing he couldn’t handle, given the past few days._

_Meanwhile, Kaede gained a questioning expression. “Strategy meeting?”_

_Pumping his fists together, Kaito explained, “The time limit’s gonna be up soon – so I’ve decided: when that happens, we’re gonna fight Monokuma! We’ve gotta plan for when that happens. We thought it’d be harder for Monokuma to get to the basement, so we’re going to the Game Ro—”_

I don’t have time for this! _the Pianist thought._ I— **we** —gotta find out who’s in there! ~~(And who it is that I…)~~ _“H-Hold on!” she interrupted him aloud. “Both of you, come with us! The mastermind’s in the library!”_

 _“H-Huh?” Tenko looked startled. “Mastermind…?”_ Oh, that’s right, we never explained our suspicions to anybody…

_“We’ll explain later,” Shuichi said, “but right now, we need you to come with us. We… might really be able to end this killing game.”_

_Kaito’s eyes widened. “A-Are you serious!?” he exclaimed._

_“I-I don’t really understand,” Tenko said, “but you just need me to Aikido throw whoever’s inside, right!?”_

_“No,_ I’ll _do it! I’ll be the one to take them down!” Kaito declared, his eyes growing sharp._

It’s nice to see they’re enthusiastic, but now isn’t the time for this! _“This isn’t a competition!” Kaede chided them. “I’m gonna open the door right now, okay!?” The Pianist walked over to the door, her mind still ringing with fears and worries._ What if no one’s in the library? What if everything was all for nothing? What if—!?

 _No, no—she couldn’t worry about that now. She had to do this. She_ had _to._

_~~It was the only way.~~ _

_And so, she pushed upon the door, and rushed into the library._

_She was just in time, too: she was just in time to see the moving bookcase at the end of the room, the secret passage Shuichi had told her about earlier, moving back into its closed position. But despite that, there was no sign of the mastermind at all._

So where did the mastermind go?

_“Where is… the mastermind…?” Shuichi asked, speaking her own question aloud. The Pianist and the Detective ran on over, to investigate any clues the mastermind might have left behind—but nearby was something far more sinister than any clue could’ve been. ~~Something that would seal her fate for good.~~_

_For not too far from the moving bookcase…_

_Rantaro Amami, the boy who had yet to reveal his Ultimate Talent…_

_…laid limp and **dead** on the ground, a bloody shot put ball right next to him._

_“O-Oh…” Kaede stammered, unwilling to believe it. “Ran… Rantaro…?”_

_“What in the world!?” Kaito shouted. “Wh-What the hell is going on!?”_

_Her vision began to swirl._

_Her legs wobbled beneath her._

It… It was him…?

It was him all along…?

 **He’s** the one…

…who I **killed…?**

* * *

**Castle Dedede – Library**

Kaede couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe it at all.

Rantaro Amami was there.

Rantaro Amami was there, and he wasn’t bloodied.

He was _alive._

(And laying in the exact same position he was in when he _was_ dead. Convenient, that. And the whole library thing, too.)

In some way, it wasn’t like it was all too surprising. I mean, Kaede herself came back to life a night prior when by all accounts she should have been dead.

But somehow, this just felt so different.

 ** _But of course it would be,_** her inner demons hissed again. ** _You remember what you did—and he certainly will, too. Do you think he’s honestly going to forget that, just so you could feel better about yourself? Do you?_**

She shivered. Her legs refused to move. She couldn’t take another step. How could she? What right did she have, after what she had done? After her promise to make sure no one would die, after her promise to make sure everyone would stick together – and after she broke those promises right in half for her own selflessly selfish desires?

 ~~(And the noose ‘round her neck continued on crushing her with her regrets, not to mention her lies _and her crimes)_~~ _— ~~~~_

_I… I can’t… Wh-What will he think of me…?_

Kirby caught her distress easily, seeing as she was practically vibrating in place – though it was clearly not in excitement. In fact, it was basically the direct opposite emotion. (One might say… it was full of despair.) “…hey,” he tentatively started, “are you… alright, Kaede?” His voice sounded concerned, and his face was probably the same, too—but she was too focused on the sight in front of her to take an actual look. “Is… Is there something about this guy you’re worried about?”

“…no,” she lied after a moment’s hesitation. “It’s—It’s not about him specifically,” she tried to clarify— _Though it kinda is, really, just not in the way he’s probably thinking—_ “it’s just… something else that happened. Yeah. Something else.” Maybe if she convinced herself of that, the ache in her heart would go away, even if it was just for a little bit. **_~~But we know that’s not gonna happen.~~_**

The puffball didn’t looked convinced, but for now, he’d let it go. They had bigger things to worry about. (And it was nothing being a good friend couldn’t cure, hopefully.) Temporarily sheathing his sword, he gave Kaede a little nudge forward to break her out of her paralysis. “Go on,” he said. “If it’s nothing really that bad,” left unsaid was the implication that it probably was, “then… you shouldn’t hesitate with heading on in.” He gave out a sympathetic smile. “Besides… If you need me, I’ll be right here behind you.”

“…a-alright,” the Pianist finally conceded. “I’ll… I’ll go.”

She couldn’t run away from this, after all. Wasn’t she always saying to Shuichi how he shouldn’t run from the truth – how he should always face it head on? She should really be listening to her own advice. And now was a good time as ever to do so.

No matter how much it hurt.

Slowly and silently, she walked on forward, propelled onward by her determination to make things right, somehow. Helpfully, the Waddle Dees surrounding Rantaro’s unconscious body separated enough for her to get closer, and she tried to pay no mind to the fact that everyone – Kirby, King Dedede, Bandana Dee, and all the other Dees – had their eyes all on her. _Keep them out of your mind,_ she thought. _Just… Just keep your eyes forward. Don’t look away. ~~(Don’t imagine blood where it shouldn’t be.)~~_

She crouched down after closing the distance between him and her. From up close, he looked rather peaceful, laying there and breathing perfectly fine. It was almost as if he hadn’t died to begin with. Just like with her.

She swallowed a gulp and carefully put a hand on Rantaro’s shoulder. “Hey… Rantaro?” she called out to him quietly. “Are… Are you awake?”

 _Stupid, stupid,_ she chided herself. _Of course he isn’t awake. Why would he be laying on the floor if he was?_

A soft groan emitted itself from Rantaro’s throat, making all of the Waddle Dees instinctively jump back and aim their spears at the poor boy. She paid them no mind; the only important thing in front of her right now was Rantaro. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, his head lifting up from the prone position it had been in.

He met Kaede’s eyes. “Kaede…? Is that you…?” he asked, though he was clearly still a little groggy.

But that didn’t matter. Tears unconsciously fell down the Pianist’s eyes. _It—It really **is** him._

_He’s here._

_He’s actually here._

“Rantaro… You’re alive…!” she whispered, her voice cracking in relief.

His brow furrowed. “…huh? Alive?” he repeated. “Did… something happen?”

Gradually, he got up into a sitting position, his face conveying all sorts of unspoken questions. He looked around the room, clearly not recognizing his given surroundings at all. Upon seeing the other figures in the room—most of them with a weapon targeted toward him—he raised an eyebrow and added, “Well… This definitely doesn’t look like the Ultimate Academy. And I don’t remember seeing any of these creatures before, either. You know anything about this, Kaede?”

“A little,” she admitted, “but not much. It’s—a long story, trust me.” _A long story you’re not gonna like._

“Hmm…” Rantaro crossed his arms. “Based on your tone,” he starting surmising, “I’m guessing this isn’t because of anything good.” Then he shrugged. “Well, I’ve been in worse situations. You can tell me the whole thing later. Lemme deal with this first.”

He stood on up, remarkably sprightly for someone who had been dead ~~(and laying bloodied on the floor, never to get up again)~~ as he turned his attention to King Dedede and Bandana Dee. “Hey there,” he greeted the two aloud. “I dunno what I’ve done to incur such a…” He took a glance at the other Dees still surrounding him. “…big reaction, but I assure you—I’m not a suspicious guy or anything. You can put the spears away.”

“H-H-How are we s-supposed to take you b-by your word!?” Bandana Dee stammered, a bucketload of sweat rolling down his forehead. “F-For all we know… Y-You might be an e-evil villain hiding b-behind a costume!”

 _That seems a little overly paranoid,_ Kaede thought. _Rantaro would never do anything like that! …I hope._

“I don’t ever remember being a bad guy or anything,” the Ultimate Question Mark reassured him. “You really don’t have to worry. See?” He held his hands up in the air. “No weapons.”

Dedede pursed his lips. “I’ll take you by your word, then,” he reluctantly conceded. If he was able to act so amicably in such a delicate situation, then there clearly wasn’t any immediate danger. “Dees, spears down. He’s safe… as far as I can tell, anyway.” Obediently, the Waddle Dees put their spears back into standing positions, and separated out into rows in a hallway-esque formation – though Rantaro’s position never left their sight (security, you see).

“G-Great King!” Bandana Dee cried. “A-Are… Are you sure?”

“Sure as I can be right now,” he replied. “Though if it makes you feel any better, we’ve got Kirby on standby just in case. If this guy gets hostile, he’s got things covered.” The aforementioned puffball (having followed behind Kaede) gave a wave from nearby the Ultimate duo, which happened to attract Rantaro’s attention.

“Huh. What a tiny little guy,” he remarked. “You look like you’re more than you look, with that sword of yours. Something tells me I wouldn’t want to get on your bad side.”

Kirby smirked. “You better believe it!” he said. “So… _Hiiiiiiiii~!_ I’m Kirby! And my friends over there—” He pointed to the two sitting on the sidelines. “—are King Dedede and Bandana Dee. I hope we can be great friends, just like Kaede!”

_…he believes in me too much._

“I’m Rantaro Amami,” the green-haired boy finally introduced himself. “Nice to make your acquaintance.” He smiled a little, his arms shrugging in some sort of amusement. “I gotta say, you’re looking pretty upbeat. Guess that means we’re really not in the killing game anymore. That’s good, at least.”

“…killing game?” Kirby muttered to himself, a questioning look immediately appearing on his face. In response, Kaede clutched at her arm, her eyes averting the puffball’s curious gaze as she struggled to stop shaking. “I’m not sure I want to know what _that_ means…” ~~~~

_…way, way too much._

“Sounds like there’s a _really_ long story behind all this,” Dedede assumed, rubbing a gloved hand behind his hand. “Let’s sit down, and… how ‘bout you guys tell us whatever else you’ve got to tell us? I get the feeling we’re gonna be in for the long run.”

“But we-we’ll be w-watching you, you—you hear!?” Bandana Dee stammered. “S-So don’t t-try anything funny!”

“That’s fine with me,” Rantaro said, moving over to a nearby table. Kirby, Dedede, and Bandana Dee followed suit, though it took Kaede a little bit before she could bring herself to.

 _It’s not him you should be watching out for,_ she thought mournfully, staring at the ground.

_It should be **me.**_

_~~( **And you know you deserve it.** )~~ _

* * *

~~~~“So, how much has Kaede told you about us already?” the Ultimate Question Mark asked, once the five were properly seated around a circular table in the library. “I wouldn’t want to repeat information you already know. That’d just be redundant.”

“She told us about the Ultimate Initiative and that she’s the Ultimate Pianist, but beyond that… eh, not a lot,” Dedede responded. “I imagine there’s a lot more than just that, though.” Left unstated was the way Kaede had reacted to the mere sight of him, though Rantaro had little methods of knowing about that.

“You’d be right. You see, the Ultimate Initiative had chosen sixteen of us for our talents, though we didn’t exactly get to know each other until recently. Then, all of us got kidnapped a few days ago, so we could participate in a killing game hosted by this monochromatic robot bear.”

“There’s that term again…” Kirby muttered, his eyes narrowing. “‘Killing game’… What do you mean by that?” _You really don’t want to know. Trust me._

“The sixteen of us were challenged to murder each other and get away with it in order to gain freedom back into the outside world,” he stated blithely. The three non-humans’ eyes promptly widened in shock, having not expected such a description to come out from his mouth. “Afterward, we were to take part in a class trial to discover who the murderer was—the ‘blackened’, they called them. If we failed, we would all get executed. If we were successful, only the blackened would be executed. And according to the rules…”

Rantaro pulled out his Monopad and turned it on, opening up the ‘Rules and Regulations’ page and skimming to the specific rule he was looking for. He turned it around and displayed it clearly:

 

> **#6:**  If innocent students (hereinafter referred to as ‘the spotless’) continue to survive class trials, the killing game will continue until only two students remain.

“…the game would’ve continued until **only two of us remained**.”

Kaede gasped a little. She had forgotten about that rule; it hadn’t mattered to her then, what with all the chaos over the class trial and all. But to the trio in front of them, it got the point across very well.

The silence in the room was palpable. With just a few hard-hitting sentences, Rantaro had rendered the Pop Star natives utterly speechless. Three pairs of eyes remained fixated on the Monopad for several moments, before they flickered up toward Kaede and Rantaro with what looked like unadulterated horror. _I really can’t blame them. I thought it was unbelievable myself._

“Pretty morbid, huh?” Rantaro chuckled darkly. “They—Monokuma—was pretty adamant on us following through with it. Even gave out motives to get us enticed.”

“…You’re… You’re not… _serious,_ are you?” Dedede asked, his jaw practically unhinged from his mouth. “Please tell me you’re joking with us. Please tell me it’s all a joke.”

“T-That’s—That’s so… h-horrible!” Bandana Dee gaped, unable to truly comprehend the type of horrors being laid before him. “Would—Would p-people actually… d-do something like that…!? W-Who…!? How!?”

Kaede began hugging herself tightly. (It didn’t escape Kirby’s notice.) _And I fell for it. I fell for Monokuma’s motive. It doesn’t matter that he threatened to kill us all—I still fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. I let him win. I let everyone down. I let him turn me into a murderer._

_And Rantaro paid the price for it._

_A big, big price._

She choked, barely holding in her sobs. _I—I can’t do this. I can’t keep deluding myself anymore. I did this. I killed him. And—and—I can’t sit here, k-knowing what I’ve done, while he—he’s right there, talking about everything like this, and **he doesn’t even know…!** He—He doesn’t…!_

She was breaking. She was breaking, right here, right now, and all the turmoil within her – the turmoil that had been mostly subdued _( **for a certain manner of ‘subdued’** )_ over the past dozen-or-so hours – was finally building up to an explosive climax.

**_I bet he already knows, Kaede. That you were the one who pulled the trigger, that you ended his life for your own selfishness. Do you feel guilty? Do you feel ashamed? Do you think he’d ever,_ ever _forgive you for what you’ve done?_**

“Last thing I remember,” Rantaro continued, oblivious to the Pianist’s growing distress, “before I came here, I was in the middle of trying to stop the killing game myself. I found this secret passageway in the library and was investigating in when I saw a shot put ball fall—”

 _“I’m sorry!”_ Kaede suddenly interrupted him. The library fell silent again.

“Huh?” Rantaro blinked dumbly, his face spinning around to look at his fellow Ultimate. “Kaede? Are you okay?”

(Kirby, Dedede, and Bandana Dee brought their gaze on her. _“What’s she doing?”_ the King whispered to his pink friend. _“What’s she got to be sorry about…?”_

 _“Shhhh! Let her talk.”_ The hero of Pop Star eyed Kaede with a solemn expression. _“…I get the feeling she really, really needs it.”_ Just as much as she needed a hug yesterday, he could guess.)

The two Ultimates (or more accurately, the Ultimate and the amnesiac) gazed at each other – Kaede’s eyes glimmering with yet-to-be-released tears and fears, and Rantaro’s eyes shimmering with curiosity – before the Pianist abruptly and suddenly dove into the amnesiac’s chest, arms slung over his shoulder in a sort of makeshift hug. She started rapidly babbling, _“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorryyyyyy—!”_

For a moment, the Ultimate Question Mark looked at Kaede’s sobbing form in confusion _(What’s this all about?),_ before the gears started turning around in his brain.

_Shot put ball._

_Shot put ball._

**_Shot put ball._ **

“Oh,” he realized. Of course. “That was you, wasn’t it? You were trying to take down the mastermind.” In the days he had known the plucky young lady, she didn’t look like the type of person to murder without strong justification. By that logic, she must’ve set a trap – and Rantaro just happened to be unfortunate enough to get caught up in it.

And it was clear that she felt extremely guilty about it. (What else explained her now unkempt appearance and tearful reaction?) “It’s alright, you know,” he soothed her, patting her back calmly. “You tried your best to do the right thing,” no matter how loose that term may have been, given the circumstances. “I don’t blame you for what you did.”

 _“Y-You—You sho-o-o-o-ould!”_ she sobbed, her fists vainly beating at Rantaro’s chest. She was hysterical. _“I—I shouldn’t have done it! It, it, it—it got you killed! **I** did that! **Me!** H-How can you… How can you f-forgive… something like t-that…?”_

He smiled. “Because I know you, Kaede. I’ve known you long enough to know you’re a good person, even if you don’t think so.”

_“B-But… You—You didn’t even… get to f-find out… what your talent w-was…! A-And—And I f-failed… everybody…! I… I don’t d-deserve…!”_

“You didn’t fail everybody. Under the circumstances, there wasn’t much else you could do.” (Something tingled in the back of his head at that.) “I’m sure that back at the academy, they’ll know what you were trying to accomplish. And talent doesn’t matter right now. Don’t beat yourself up over everything. Come on. Just let it all out. It’s okay now.”

 _“Ran—Rantaro-o-o-o-o…”_ Kaede continued to sob uncontrollably while Rantaro held her close, treating her like she was one of his own younger sisters going through a similar reaction. It may not have been that long since the conclusion of their participation in the Killing School Semester, but that didn’t mean the pain and suffering they went through didn’t deserve to be released.

Perhaps now, with Kaede and Rantaro reunited and the former’s turmoil mollified to an extent, the Ultimate Pianist could begin to heal for real. It was going to be a long road to recovery, especially given what had happened, but… there was no reason why she couldn’t have support along the way. Like what was stated before: this was a second chance. And there was no way they – Kirby, Dedede, and the rest – wouldn’t find a way to help her make the most of it.

_(After all… she was never one to callously break her promises.)_

* * *

“…something tells me this is only the beginning,” Dedede mused as he watched the two humans in front of him hug things out. “Kaede—and then Rantaro—showing up out of the blue, their insane story, Kaede’s fears and overflowing tears… Not only that: I don’t know why, but I know they won’t be the only ones coming to Pop Star.”

“W-What could all t-this mean…?” Bandana Dee worried, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to relieve stress. “W-Why are t-they even here…? They—They seem l-like they’d be good friends, b-but…”

“…you’re worried about what kind of dangers might be awaiting us ahead now,” Kirby concluded for him. He couldn’t miss the signs, not with his experience with saving Pop Star and the Gamble Galaxy several times over. “Don’t worry,” he ruffled his friend’s head. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it just like we always do. If Void Termina couldn’t get us, then we’ll be able to tackle anything that comes our way.”

“Yeah, don’t you worry your head, Bandana Dee!” Dedede agreed. “Besides… I wouldn’t want to leave these guys alone. And I know Kirby won’t let them be, either.”

“…o-okay,” Bandana Dee relented. “I—I trust you, Kirby, Great King. A-And… I want to trust Kaede and Rantaro, too!”

“That’s the spirit!” the pink puffball grinned. “Friendship is always something to strive for. And…” He looked to the aforementioned Ultimates, still engaging in a little comfort session. “These guys? They’re gonna need it a lot. Trust me on that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from the lyrics to _Sanctuary,_ by Utada Hikaru.
> 
> Man, I’m somehow pumping out updates pretty regularly. Something tells me that’s not gonna last.
> 
> Fun fact: originally, I was going to put a flashback to Kaede’s second first meeting with Shuichi in Chapter 2, but I scrapped it because it was just padding. The flashback scene here should be far less of that – primarily because it’s not as long as the aforementioned deleted scene. (Trying to keep to shorter chapters here, folks.)
> 
> I revived Rantaro relatively quickly because I want to try and have the revivals happening in about the same timeframe as the killings happen in _Killing Harmony_ – and thus, I can’t go without Rantaro too long. I hope you understand, and if you don’t… eh, nothing I can do.
> 
> Kaede’s breakdown is partly because of how quickly I brought back Rantaro relative to her own resurrection. I mean, wouldn’t you be extremely distressed after you A) accidentally killed someone, B) got executed in a most cruel manner, C) know you failed everyone in your promises, and D) find your victim alive again like nothing ever happened? She’s only human, after all. By no means does this mean this is the end of her angst, though – remember, there’s still plenty more people to go.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for some relative fluff sessions! See you then.


	5. Dreaming of Something Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There aren’t enough smiles coming from Kaede, Kirby decided—so why not have she and Rantaro help bake a cake with him and Dedede? Cakes always make things better! Though, that might just be his stomach talking…

**Castle Dedede – King Dedede’s Room**

Several hours had passed since Rantaro’s arrival and Kaede’s subsequent breakdown. In the time since, the two of them had been properly introduced to Castle Dedede – and, having no place to stay _(Kirby’s place is too small for that,_ Dedede thought), the king let them reside in the spare bedrooms he had laying around. Dedede had barely any idea what was going on, sure—what could he say, this was an unusual event, even for Dream Land—but he could tell Kaede could use the room.

“Oh, boy,” he massaged his forehead, sitting on his bed. Through his window, the crescent moon shone brightly over Dream Land. “This is… This is just _crazy._ We’ve got experience with befriending others, sure, but much less in being their therapists – especially for topics as heavy as this, too.” He looked at Kirby—who was spinning around in a revolving chair—with a weary expression. “I thought Marx and Dark Meta Knight had their fair share of baggage, but those two take the cake! How the heck are we supposed to help ‘em out, seriously?”

Kirby wore a typical smile as he continued spinning around. “We’ll do what we usually do: be a good friend to them,” he replied nonchalantly. “Give ‘em comfort, a helping hand, happy times… teach ‘em how to smile again, you know? …especially Kaede.”

He let the chair slow down and stop moving, his face a little more contemplative. “I haven’t known her for very long, but… I can tell she’s a good person inside. Sure, she did ‘a bad’, but… I can’t exactly blame her for it. I don’t want her to stay hurting just because of a tough call she had to make.” _Tough call is… a bit of an understatement, Kirby._ “She—and Rantaro—deserve better, and I want to try and give them that. Some amazingly good memories to outweigh all the bad.” His eyes seemed to look at something far away. “If I can’t do that for them… then what good would I be as a friend?”

**_‘Because if I can’t win against him, despite all my efforts… then what good am I as a king, self-proclaimed or not?’_ **

Dedede looked down on the floor, a little guilt welling up within him. _He really feels for them,_ he realized, _for **her.** And he won’t give up on them… just like he never gave up on me. On Marx, on Dark Meta Knight, on anyone else._

_…so I shouldn’t give up on them, either._

“Hey, don’t say that!” he finally replied. “You’re the best friend anyone could have. You’re _my_ best friend! And we wouldn’t have gotten very far if you didn’t try.” He flashed a cocky grin at said best friend. “C’mon—I know you’re more upbeat than this! You’ve helped us all before, and you can do it again. So let’s stop doubting and start befriending, same as always!”

Kirby brightened up at this reassurance. _There’s the smile I know and love!_ “…you’re right,” he said, voice back to being as confident as ever. “When people hit rock bottom, the only place else to go is up – so it’s only fair that we give Kaede and Rantaro a lift while we’re at it!” He hopped up the chair, completely reinvigorated, and raised a hand to the sky. “And I know exactly where to start!”

Dedede raised an eyebrow, his curious side coming ‘round. “Oh, really?” _This oughta be good._ “Lay it on me, then.”

* * *

The next day…

**Castle Dedede – Kaede’s Room**

One would expect Kaede to have boundless amounts of nightmares, considering the traumatic events she had been through – on some level, she had geared herself up for it, what with the way she kept beating herself up over everything. And yet… here she was, having had a restful sleep for the second day in a row.

 _That’s weird…_ she thought as she lay atop the bed Dedede had graciously granted her, for the time being. _…but I’ll take what I can get at this point. ~~(Even if it feels like I don’t deserve such a reprieve.)~~ _

She sighed, purple eyes staring forlornly into the ceiling. She didn’t really know what to do now that Rantaro had arrived, through whatever mysterious means brought _her_ here to Pop Star. It was as if the universe wanted to watch her every move, to never let her forget the sins she had committed, the mission that she had tried so hard to accomplish and ultimately failed at.

Sure, he was forgiving enough, after she had poured her heart out to him the morning prior – which was honestly a surprise, since she _had_ murdered him, and she herself probably wouldn’t feel the same way toward anyone who murdered her. But perhaps he was just that kind of person who could get over that type of thing? Someone who could keep collected and understand what others were going through?

it didn’t change the fact that she hadn’t forgiven _herself_ yet. _And for all I know, he actually hates me, deep down…_

 _~~…I know I hate myself, right now.~~ _ ~~~~

(And it didn’t help that everyone’s gazes—Kirby’s, King Dedede’s, Bandana Dee’s—felt so, _so_ judgmental…)

There was a lot she had to think about, too: the fact that Rantaro was here meant that, at any time, the rest of her friends could arrive on Pop Star, having been either a victim… or a blackened. Both ends of the spectrum were equally terrifying in their own right – _because it’s not just the fact that they’re my friends who are doing it—it’ll because of **me** that they did it. Because of **me** that they died. **My** fault._

_…all mine._

~~(And then they’d be on the noose too, and it’ll _tighten and tighten and **will they be as frightened as she was, dying in such an agonizing way—!?)**_~~

_…_

_…what if **Shuichi** ends up being one of the victims…?_

_…_

A part of her wanted to just stay in bed and lie there for basically all eternity – but then Kirby would probably bust into her room and happily shout in her ears again, louder than anything Monokuma could’ve transmitted over the speakers back at the Ultimate Academy. _So it’s probably best if I got up and… did… something, I guess…_

_…I can talk to Bandana Dee, maybe? He—He seems nice enough, and… h-hopefully, he won’t be **too** questioning over the killing game. So—t-there’s that._

_…ugh, I think I know how Ryoma feels now…_

Slowly, the Ultimate Pianist sat up and hopped out of her—well, _Dedede’s_ spare bed. The sun was shining brightly through the window in her current room, a perfect morning with mostly clear skies and not a single drop of rain to be seen. _…I wonder if it’s daytime where everyone else is, too._

She slapped a hand to the side of her head. “…I need to clear my head,” she told herself. “If I keep thinking about everyone like this, I’m going to drive myself crazy.” Reluctantly, she walked over to the bathroom to get freshened up. If she was gonna be up, then at the very least she was going to be presentable. Who knows? She might feel a little better after a quick shower. Anything was better than wherever her current train of thought was taking her.

* * *

Several minutes later, Kaede opened the door and stepped out of her (temporary) room—and promptly stopped at the sight before her.

_Wow… What’s going on here?_

There were several Waddle Dees wheeling small trays of… food, probably, through the hallway; she couldn’t exactly tell thanks to those silver dome plates covering them up. There weren’t that many of them—there were about five trays total being driven by one Waddle Dee each—but it was still something interesting to see, especially as she hadn’t been here very long.

And of course, at the forefront of the crew was Bandana Dee, walking forward and leading the crowd with a bright smile on his face. O-Okay, he didn’t _actually_ have a big smile—or any visible smile at all, for that matter—but he _looked_ like he could have one! _(Look at him; he looks so huggable!)_ And being the fairly observant guy that he was, it didn’t take him long for him to stop moving and say hello to his recent friend. “O-Oh! G-Good morning, Kaede!” he said, waving his hand in the air, the other Waddle Dees stopping behind him. “It’s—It’s good to see you up this early!”

Despite Kaede’s kind of somber mood, Bandana Dee’s enthusiasm was enough to get her to smile herself. “G-Good morning, Bandana Dee,” she replied. “What’s… What’s with all the trays? Are you doing anything today?”

“Those are good questions!” he chirped. “I’d love to tell you—but Kirby says it’s supposed to be a surprise, so I can’t just yet!”

 _A… surprise?_ Briefly, she wondered if it was somebody’s birthday today. Last she checked, it wasn’t March, so it couldn’t have been hers they were celebrating… _wait,_ she realized, _what’s even the date right now? Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday—is it even the same year on this planet as back home!?_ She clutched her arm and squeezed it hard— _Get a hold of yourself, Kaede, now’s not the time._ “Oh… I guess that’s alright.”

 _( **Did you honestly expect him to trust you with that, after the things he learned about you yesterday?** _ that voice hissed in her mind. _**Did you?**_

_…sh-shut up. I’m—I’m trying, okay!?)_

“S-Speaking of which,” Bandana Dee continued, “Kirby wants you to come over to the kitchen! You and Rantaro!” _Oh, uh—really? **And** Rantaro?_ A guilty look sprouted again on the Pianist’s face, though Bandana Dee didn’t seem to notice. “He said something like,” he started imitating Kirby’s voice, speaking a little deeper, “‘You looked really, _really_ sad yesterday, so we’re gonna do something happy and turn that frown upside down!’… at least, that’s what I got out of it.” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “You—You get what he’s saying, r-right?”

Kaede blinked, after hearing the rather… simplistic reasoning. _…I… Somehow, I expected something more complex, even though I really shouldn’t have…_ _He feels kind of like Kaito, in that regard._ “I get it,” she replied aloud. “If that’s what Kirby wants, then I’ll go and… go there, then?” _Ugh, that sounded kinda stupid…_ “I think I remember where the kitchen is from the tour yesterday… so it shouldn’t take me that long to get there.”

“That’s great! H-Hey, since I’m headed there too, h-how ‘bout we go together?” the little Dee suggested. “I’d really like to share your company! S-Since I really want to get to know you a little better, and all!” He walked up to her – somehow, without hesitation – and stuck out his hand. “Y-Y-You don’t mind, r-right?”

She wanted to decline, but… his eyes were sparkling with a hope she couldn’t bear to crush – and plus, it’d be a good way to distract herself even more from her inner turmoil. _Soooo…_ “…no, I don’t mind,” she finally answered, taking his hand.

“O- _Okey-dokey!”_ Bandana Dee latched on to it tightly and started leading the Pianist over to wherever the kitchen had to be. “J-Just follow me, th-then!”

“Wh-Whoa! H-Hey, s-slow down, Bandana Dee!” _H-How can someone so small be so strong!?_

(Long forgotten, the tray-driving Waddle Dees glanced at each other in unison, shrugged, and resumed their trek over to the kitchen in an orderly fashion. Sure, there weren’t any rules against running in the halls—but they weren’t exactly going to chance rushing things with such delicate ingredients on their hands.)

* * *

**Castle Dedede – Kitchen**

“All right, everybody!” Kirby happily exclaimed, shutting the double doors to the kitchen behind him. In one of his hands was the thickest cookbook Kaede had ever seen, and atop his head was a neato-looking chef’s hat, a star-shaped badge adorned to its rim. “Who here’s ready for some cooking action!?”

Dedede smirked and jokingly saluted. “Ready when you are, Chef Kirbs!”

Bandana Dee jumped up and down in excitement. “Ooh, ooh—me, me! I’m ready, I’m ready!”

Kaede shrugged, a sheepishly and somewhat confused expression popping up on her face. “Err—I guess I am?” _I have… no idea how to cook. Like, at all,_ she fretted. She started drumming her fingers on her arm in anticipation. _P-Please tell me we won’t use any knives for this… I like my fingers where they are, thank you very much!_

Rantaro nodded, a serene smile as usual. _I wish I had his ability to be calm like that._ “If that’s what you’ve gathered us here for,” he said, “then I don’t have any complaints. So—” He held up his hands. “—what exactly are we supposed to be baking?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Kirby held the large cookbook into the air, a bright grin etched onto his mouth. The way he was doing it, it seemed to shine under the headlights, giving a sense of awe that… once she looked at it more closely, it really shouldn’t be having. The cover of it read ‘Princess Peach’s Ultimate Guide to Baking Cakes’, and was appropriately accompanied with an image of a slice of cake—and a blond-haired woman in a pink dress holding it up (presumably the ‘Princess Peach’ who wrote the thing to begin with).

 _Okay, just how much does he like cake, anyway!?_ the Pianist stared, her jaw partially dropping. _Who has a cookbook dedicated just to **cakes!?**_

Rantaro, beside her, merely raised an eyebrow. “…interesting,” he remarked.

Kirby opened up the cookbook and rapidly flipped the pages, despite the fact that he had no arms and was holding it above his head – and eventually, he somehow managed to land on the one page he desired. “We’re gonna be cooking this today! My personal favorite food of all time: a **strawberry shortcake!** ”

Kaede could barely hear Dedede mutter, _“Yeah, that’s not surprising at all,”_ past her shock. She shook her head. “Isn’t it—” she began, “isn’t it too early in the day to bake a cake? I mean, we haven’t even had breakfast yet!”

“Don’t be silly, Kaede!” he replied. “It’s _never_ too early or too late to bake a cake! Cakes are NOVA’s gift to Dream Land, don’t you know?”

 _What’s a NOVA? Is that like Angie’s Atua, or something? Because if so…_ Kaede put a hand to her head. “…somehow, I doubt it.” _Ugh—I hope there’s a dictionary of ‘Pop Star-exclusive’ terms or something in King Dedede’s library, because at some point, I need to understand whatever it is they keep talking about…_

 _“Anyyyyy_ way!” Kirby slammed the cookbook onto a nearby table, startling both Kaede and the nearby Waddle Dees doing prep work in the kitchen. “You can think of this like us celebrating the fact that you’re in Dream Land now, if you really, _really_ need a reason for this. Now let’s get started already!” He brought out a ladle and frying pan and started banging them together in excitement. “After all—cakes don’t end up baking themselves!”

“You know, Kaede, he’s not gonna stop insisting on it until we do it,” Rantaro noted, with some amusement. “So we might as help out. There’s no harm in it, and who knows, it might even turn out to be a fun experience.”

“Fine,” Kaede groaned. “We’ll give it a shot.”

Dependable as ever, the Ultimate Question Mark (unfortunately, getting conked on the head didn’t bring back any of his memories yet) waltzed over to the open cookbook and read the recipe’s provided ingredients. “Am I to assume you have all the ingredients already?”

“Y-Yep!” Bandana Dee chirped. “Eggs, sugar, flour, butter, milk, strawberries… you name anything on the list and we got it! Us Waddle Dees are very efficient at our jobs, heh heh!”

“It’s true!” Dedede agreed. “And trust me, all the ingredients we have are high-quality. It wouldn’t befit me as a king to have anything less. …and also Kirby would kill me otherwise.”

“Okay then. Let’s get started!”

* * *

Rantaro was almost like a natural at cooking, able to follow the listed ingredients practically perfectly. With flawless precision, he had cracked opened the eggs, whirled them in a bowl, mixed in sugar, stirred them together – it was almost mesmerizing to watch. Though, that was probably because Kaede wasn’t exactly doing a whole lot else. Being the least experienced cook in the room, she just kind of… awkwardly stood off to the side, watching everyone do their thing from afar.

 _…I don’t really belong here,_ she despondently mused. As much as she _could_ use her leadership ‘skills’ here _~~(like I was ever really a leader to begin with)~~ ,_ Kirby and Dedede were already doing things better than she could ever hope to. She sighed. _Maybe I can just… sneak over to the dining room and no one will notice… ~~(I’d probably just mess things up, anyway…)~~_

Her plans were immediately dashed a few seconds later: Rantaro noticed how inelegantly she stuck out in the spotlight out of the corner of his eye, and promptly decided to take a little action. “Hey, Kaede,” he called her over, and she visibly jolted upward in surprise at the sound of his voice. He smiled. “You can come help me out, if you want.”

“O-Oh! U-Uhhhhh…” Her eyes started to shift about in apprehension, and he could see her bite her lip as she struggled to figure out an answer to his offer. “N-No, I’m—I’m fine!” she assured him, albeit nervously. “You—You look just fine, doing things by yourself! I… don’t wanna disturb you, or anything…”

 _She still feels guilty,_ he observed. All of her leaderlike confidence from the beginning of the killing game seemed to have evaporated in the face of her insecurities. There was something incredibly sad about her disposition – and if Rantaro was being honest… it kind of reminded him of his sisters, if for a brief instant.

“No, it’s okay,” he insisted. “Here, I’ll guide you through the process. It won’t be too bad, I promise.”

 _…it’d be rude to turn him down, while he’s being so nice._ “Alright,” she relented, trudging over to his side. “I’ll—I’ll try it. But I’m not gonna be any good at it, just so you know!” She made a cute little pout that Rantaro believed couldn’t have looked out of place on his sisters. Looking over the tools in front of her, Kaede picked up a kitchen mixer and poked at it, trying to figure out what it did. “So, uhh… what exactly are we doing, again?”

Rantaro brought the cookbook closer, so she could follow along with the instructions. “Well,” he said, “first, we need to turn the mixer on and set it to high.” He turned the knob on the side of the mixer, and steadied Kaede’s grip with his other hand before she could accidentally drop it in surprise.

“Wh-Whoa!” she yelped. “Th-This thing is loud!”

“It’s not that loud,” he chuckled. “There are plenty of tools that are much louder than this.”

“R-Really?” There was something akin to displeasure on her features. “I’m beginning to wish my hearing wasn’t so sensitive, then…”

“Anyway—after you turn the mixer on, you stir—” He directed her attention to the mixture of egg yolk and sugar below—“for approximately three to four minutes, at a decent pace. C’mon, let’s do it.” He began to guide her hand, spinning it around in circles as they stirred the contents of the bowl together, Kaede gradually looking more relaxed as they continued onward with this action.

“This is… This isn’t that bad,” she admitted, a soft smile actually showing up on her face. “It’s… relaxing, in a way.” Of course, ‘relaxing’ didn’t mean quite as much as it should when, in the background, Kirby and Dedede and Bandana Dee were speaking up to both themselves and their subordinates at a fairly high volume—and was Rantaro looking at them right, or were they _juggling ingredients?_ (That couldn’t be very good—and yep, Bandana Dee ended up splatting a few strawberries on himself; _whoops)_ —but hey, at least it was _something._ “…I kind of like it.”

Rantaro hummed in agreement. “It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?” he commented, turning the dial over to the ‘low’ setting. “You can find relaxation in a lot of things. You just have to know where to look. To put it more simply… I imagine it’s like putting your Ultimate talent to use—in your case, playing the piano.”

Kaede suddenly got the image of a kitchen mixer inexplicably operated by a miniature piano in her mind, the device sitting over a bowl with herself playing the piano keys in a beautiful melody, the beaters rhythmically stirring in tune with the song she was playing.

Her train of thought momentarily paused in place. _…well, that came out of nowhere,_ she thought. _Even still…_ “I… I think I get it,” she replied. Her eyes seemed to stare at something in the distance, even as she kept focusing on her work. “Like playing the piano, huh…?”

_…_

**_‘I wish there was a piano here. I’d play a song to help cheer you up!_ **

**_‘Hmm… a pretty song to play for you… Oh—how about ‘Clair de Lune’, by Debussy!’_ **

_…I promised I’d play **him** a tune, whenever he and I found the chance. And… I never got to fulfill it to him. That piano, sitting in my Research Lab – it’ll never get the chance to be played._

_It’s purposeless, directionless, lifeless—almost exactly like I am right now._

_…whenever Dedede gets that grand piano set up, that’ll be the first thing I play. I—I owe Shuichi that much, at least._

_(And maybe—just maybe… wherever he is… he might be able to hear it.)_

Several seconds following their little conversation, Rantaro decided, “That should be enough stirring with the mixer now.” He took his grip off of Kaede’s hand and turned the knob on the mixer down to ‘off’. “You can put it down now, Kaede.”

“I-If you say so!” With what was probably way too much caution, the Ultimate Pianist gently set the device aside on the table, seeming to treat as if it were a ticking time bomb that could go off any second. After poking it a few times to… presumably make sure it didn’t explode _(She doesn’t need to be **that** cautious,_ Rantaro mused; _the tools aren’t fragile mirrors)_ , she sighed in relief – and promptly reeled backward when a literal strawberry missile flew into it, exploded, and sent it flying.

 _“Wh-Whoops! Sorry!”_ Bandana Dee apologized in the background, hand scratching the top of his head in embarrassment. _“J-J-Just, uhh—d-don’t mind us! K-Keep doing your thing! N-Nothing to see here!”_

“You know, Kirby,” Dedede raised an eyebrow, “you really didn’t need to turn those strawberries into a missile.” _(Why would you turn strawberries into a missile!?_ Kaede wanted to ask. And yet, she didn’t—because god knows this was probably going to be a reoccurring thing.)

“Yeah, I didn’t _have_ to—but _pfft,_ it was _awesome,_ so why the heck not!”

Rantaro laughed—like, genuinely laughed—out loud, a warm and melodic laugh that seemed to ooze with heart and even a little fondness. “This is _really_ reminding me of my sisters now,” he mentioned. “This isn’t how I really expected things to go, but it’s not too bad, all things considered!”

Kaede blinked (again). “You… You have sisters?” she asked, sounding surprised.

“Yeah, actually,” he nonchalantly confirmed. “Twelve of them.”

And then Kaede’s jaw proceeded to drop. _“T-T-T- **Twelve!?”**_ she gawked in utter disbelief. “I—I know what having a sibling is like; I mean, I’ve got a twin sister myself—but I can’t even _begin_ to imagine having that many siblings to both keep track of _and_ take care of!”

“Not many people do,” Rantaro conceded. “Trust me, it’s a lot for me to keep track of, too—but I love them all, anyway… even if I’m not really worthy of _being_ their big brother.” Something resembling guilt or anxiety could be seen hinted on his face – something Kaede could already recognize of having been on her own face several times the previous two days. Right afterward, he returned to his usual tranquil, jovial self. “Well—enough moping around. Let’s get back to business, shall we?”

_…he’s… he’s a little like me, huh? He’s got his own insecurities hanging over him._

_~~( **And yet, none of them are as heinous as your sins.**)~~ _

She shook her head, to rid herself of the intruding sense of depression trying to run through her head. “R-Right,” she agreed. “Let’s—let’s get back to business. No more focusing on sad stuff!” She held up her arms in a sort-of ‘We can do it!’ fashion. “We’ve got a happy-sappy cake to make, and it’s not going to make itself!”

_(“Yeah! That’s the spirit, Kaede! **Now** we’re talking!”_

_“Kirby, l-let them have their little moment, please…”_

_“Fine, fine… be a killjoy, why don’t ya…”)_

* * *

Approximately an hour or so of cooking later…

Kirby’s eyes were sparkling with absolute delight. “It’s beautiful…” he cooed, the equivalent of a wide grin hanging from his pink cheeks. “So beautiful…”

Indeed, the food item in front of them was a visual spectacle in its own right. Decorated with white puffballs made of whipped cream and delicious-looking strawberries, and accompanied with thin cookie sticks and a little mint attached to each pair of them, there was just something about it that gave it an aura of being as delectable as all the environmental structures in Cookie Country. (…w-wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right—) In fact, Kirby already had a fork and knife in his hands, just to show how hungry he was getting for it.

“Looks like we did it!” Kaede cheered, pumping her fist into the air. “You know, for my first time cooking, like, _anything_ at all, I think it turned out rather well!” She seemed, at least in part, back to her old go-getter confident self – and that was probably an achievement unto itself, in Dream Land terms, anyway.

“To be fair, that’s mostly thanks to the fact that we were here and we’re fairly competent in the art of cooking,” Dedede shrugged, “but eh, I guess if that’s good enough for you, I don’t really have any room to complain. I mean—we’ve all gotta start from somewhere, right?”

“I—I think it’s a g-good starting point as any, if—if you a-ask me!” Bandana Dee piped up, a happy expression shining brightly on his face. “B-Besides! It’s—It’s a cake, and any situation where we get to eat cake is s-something special in my book!”

“Especially strawberry shortcake,” Kirby drooled. _O-Okay, that’s getting disturbing at this point—_

“Well, I can honestly say this isn’t like any other cake I’ve baked before,” Rantaro said, a hand casually raised to the air. “I can’t say I’m not at least a little excited to take a bite out of it, given how much you’ve hyped it up.”

“You should be!” he exclaimed. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there’s no better food in this galaxy—and the multiverse, even—than a slice of strawberry shortcake! And since we baked it in you guys’ honor—” He temporarily put down the fork and knife to visibly extend a hand toward the cake, in view of the two Ultimates. “—you two get to have the first taste of it! You better appreciate it, because this is the only time I’m going to let you guys get the first slice on anything.”

“That’s fine with me!” Kaede quickly grabbed a nearby paper plate (Dedede thought it was appropriate), took up Kirby’s fork and knife, cut a fairly small portion of the cake, and placed it on the plate with aplomb. In a few seconds more, part of the cake was going into her mouth—and her eyes and taste buds simultaneously lit up. If you looked closely (and were seeing this through the eyes of an anime, or something), you could see a rather extravagant, colorful background decorated with flowers and rainbows and typical anime fluff fare as such. “Wh-Whoa…” she breathed—“this is—this is _delicious!” I—I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a cake like **this** before!_

“See? I told you it’d be great!” Kirby said. “No one can resist the cake for long!”

“Please don’t tell me this means Kirby has a new adherent to his shortcake religion now,” Dedede lightheartedly groaned. “I was hoping it’d be something exclusive to just him…”

_…I hope he’s joking when he says ‘religion’._

“Hey, let me try it out, too.” Rantaro cut his own slice to start eating it – and he seemed to be just as invested in the taste, for his face noticeably brightened up a little and he said, “Huh. It really isn’t all that bad.” He took another bite and mumbled to himself, “I should remember this recipe for later…”

Before too long had passed, both their slices of strawberry shortcake had been finished off, sent into the void that we call their stomachs (though trust me, they weren’t as big a void as Kirby’s was; no one can beat _him_ on that front). Kaede licked her lips – despite the fact that it was still technically morning in Dream Land, she actually wanted more cake. “I didn’t think there could be a cake that makes me want seconds right after tasting it once,” she said. She turned to Kirby and asked, “Hey, is it alright if we—?”

“Not before I get to eat some of it,” he replied. “It’s _my_ favorite food, y’know!” In the blink of an eye, he promptly grabbed two separate plates, cut two separate slices of cake, and promptly ran out the kitchen door, to presumably enjoy his ‘meal’ at the table. And all the while, he was cackling, “Cake’s mine, everybody! You can’t have my pieces! _YAHOO!”_

Kaede stared at his unceremonious exit in half-shock, half-exasperation. “Wh-Wha…?” _U-Umm—I don’t even—?_

Dedede, who had been watching the scene with little more than a slightly raised eyebrow, shook his head in good humor. “That’s Kirby for you,” he stated, long since used to stunts like this. “He likes his cake, and he’ll have nothing get in the way of him enjoying it. I should probably go cut out a third and fourth slice for him while we’re at it…”

“B-But _we_ haven’t had a s-slice yet, and th-this cake isn’t very big!” Bandana Dee cried. _Well, yeah, that’s… kind of why they call it a strawberry ‘ **short** cake’._ “A-And we went through a-all the effort to bake it, too! C-Can’t we have the rest for our—ourselves? We—We don’t get to eat th-this _all_ the time…”

Dedede laughed. “Alright, alright,” he grinned. “There should be just enough of the cake left for all to us to enjoy.” With the knife that Kirby hadn’t bothered to recollect, he cut the remaining half of the cake into four pieces and placed them on a plate for everybody. “C’mon,” he said, taking his plate and walking off to the dining room, “we can’t let Kirby just eat at the table alone! We’d be terrible friends otherwise!”

“Y-Yeah!” Bandana Dee raised a hand – the one that wasn’t holding a plate – into the air. “F-Friendship meals forever!”

Kaede smiled. “S-Sure, let’s do that!” she went along. “We might as well celebrate this occasion as a group!”

“If that’s what you want to do,” Rantaro said, almost relaxed, “then that’s fine by me.” Amusedly, he remarked, “It’s gonna be interesting, living in this place… but I don’t think I’ll mind at all.”

 _Yeah,_ Kaede thought, _I don’t think I’ll mind it either._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from the lyrics to [My Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjbTrNUCndw), a _Kingdom Hearts III_ fan song by Rockit Gaming.
> 
> It’s been a while, everyone! (How many times have I said that in my fics at this point…?) I figured I should get back to focusing on this fic in tandem with _Star Allies, Unite!_ – ‘cause I really want to get these guys in _Are You a Friend, Too?_ at some point, and I can’t exactly do that if I haven’t firmly established them in this ‘verse yet. So here we go!
> 
> After the torrent of feels last chapter, it’s only right that I lighten things up with something cute and fluffy. And what’s cuter and fluffier than the process of baking a cake together? There were a great many cakes I could’ve used, sure, but since I dislike having to do extensive amounts of research, I decided to go with the one cake everybody in this fandom knows: Kirby’s infamous strawberry shortcake! And it just so happens that there’s [a tutorial video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8diQIk459ZI) on how to make it, too! How convenient!
> 
> …keep in mind that I don’t really have much of an idea as to how actually cooking things work. The most I’m able to do is microwave breakfast in the morning, so please excuse any errors I so happen to make.
> 
> The dialogue in this chapter just didn’t want to be written, for whatever reason – I could’ve gotten this out by Saturday if I didn’t have such a massive writer’s block hanging over that. I hope it’s adequate enough, given the fact that I haven’t written any _Danganronpa_ characters since around January or so.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for one more fluff chapter before we get things rolling again!


	6. Sing a Song of Chattiness (First Melody)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conveniently, King Dedede’s got a bunch of leftover smartphones from the Robobot crisis – and hey, Kaede and Rantaro could probably use them! “It’s not like those Monopads are going to be very useful,” he rationalizes, “so what’s the harm?”
> 
> He forgot that Kirby has a smartphone with Discord installed. That latter part also applied to the rest of the phones, for some reason.
> 
> …at least it’s therapeutic, in a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a few extended ‘group chat’ sections, so if that bothers you—don’t worry, I’m not going to be doing it too much. (There’ll still be narrative segments, so you can just skip to those, if that’s what you want – though I’d say you’d really be missing out.)

**Castle Dedede – Storage Room**

“Wow,” Kaede exhaled, her purple eyes looking around at the mountain of things just laying on the floor in Castle Dedede’s storage room. “This room is _huge!”_ Just from the entrance, she could see loads upon loads of unexpected objects: old paintings depicting Dedede, boxes of who knows what, spears and swords and stars of various sizes… “You could fit a _dozen_ grand pianos in here and still have room to spare!” _And here I thought the Academy’s warehouse was pretty big!_

“It _is_ fairly spacious here,” Rantaro conceded, arms crossed and face visibly impressed. “It feels a lot more homely than the Ultimate Academy ever did, that’s for sure.” He looked at Dedede, who was currently trying scrunching his face and trying not to sneeze from the room’s accumulation of dust. “Though, that might partially be because it hasn’t been touched in a while.”

“Man,” Dedede commented, covering his nose, “I should _really_ clean this place up a bit more. When was the last time I was even in here? Ugh.” _I can’t blame him for feeling that way—I wouldn’t want to deal with this, either._ To his assortment of Waddle Dees – led by Bandana Dee, of course – he instructed, “Alright, gang: the old piano should be pretty far in the back. You’ll know it when you see it, don’t worry! Just… be cautious with it. I haven’t touched it in literal decades, so it’s definitely gonna be as dusty as Star Lavadom is hot. And out-of-tune. And probably really fragile, because… y’know. Literal decades.” He was rather flippant with his statements, but then again, Kaede got the sense that that was how he normally was.

The Waddle Dees saluted as one. “G-Gotcha, Great King!” Bandana Dee said. The servants scrambled in the direction he pointed to, looking rather adorable as they waddled around, heads bopping up and down. “R-Remember, gang—l-look for a big piano! U-Use if your flashlights if necessary, t-too!”

And that just left the three of them by the entrance, with not much else to do. “Welp!” Dedede declared loudly, taking initiative and waltzing over to the junk relatively close to the door. “If we’re gonna be here doin’ nothing, then we might as well do something ourselves. Haven’t seen this stuff in ages, so—ehh!” He started burrowing through the pile, the sound of him shuffling random items about clearly audible through the silence. “You can come closer, guys,” he called out to his two wards. “Nothing in here bites!”

Kaede and Rantaro briefly glanced at each other, Kaede shrugging with a nervous face, before the two Ultimates followed to over his shoulder. “A lot of this stuff looks old,” she noted. “Like, _really_ old. I’m not sure if Miu would have a heart attack or a heart—uhh… _beat_ at the sight of this.” She stuck her hand into an open box and pulled out… Her features became slack. “Is—Is this a _flip phone!?” What the heck!?_

Rantaro, unflappable as ever, raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Haven’t seen one of those in forever.”

“Dang, that’s a sight for sore eyes,” Dedede said. He reached in and pulled out another one, examining it with a hint of nostalgia. “We were using these things for a long, long, _long_ time,” he recalled. “We’d probably still be using them if it weren’t for Master Hand coming in and hooking us up with modern technology. That was about… four, five years back?” A small smile came upon his face. “Those were the days…”

Kaede looked in closer: there were more than half a dozen flip phones, each with a different color scheme and exterior cover. In fact, they seemed to be themed after their respective owners, if the one that was flat pink and the one that was striped red and yellow was any indication. _Hmm… I wonder…_ Experimentally, she flipped one up and fiddled with the phone’s keys – but, unsurprisingly, there wasn’t a single response. _Nope. No dice._ “I guess these are out of batteries.” She returned it gently to its place of origin. “Hey, Rantaro, you find anything?”

The Ultimate Question Mark in question opened another box, and inside was [a host of Kirby dolls with an oddly-sized face and little rods topped off with a star.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/374/245/312.png) Something about them was… a little unsettling, to be honest. “Well, I found _these,”_ he said, pointing them out to her. “Though I don’t know what they’re supposed to be, exactly.”

She squinted at them. “Those eyes… and that mouth…” she noted. “It’s cute enough, I guess, but… I feel like I’m looking at something that wasn’t really meant to be. It’s… totally weird.” _It also reminds me a little bit of Monokuma, and that **definitely** isn’t good._ ~~(Replace that ‘Star Rod’ with a knife, and those feelings only intensified.)~~ She backed away from them. “C-Close that back up, o-okay? L-Let’s just leave it as it is.” _In the event that it comes alive and wants to eat us or something, it’ll be farrrrr away from us. **Very** far away._

_Yep. I’m not paranoid or anything. Yep._

“If you say so, Kaede.” Rantaro did as she wanted and moved the box off to the side. “Back to business, then.”

The two silently shuffled through the objects – and while they weren’t quite able to dig all the way through, there was still a fair share of interesting things to find. (Good thing too; this would be incredibly boring otherwise!) They picked up bows and arrows, thick-looking books, bug repellant, and what seemed to look like bags of… _expired candy?_

She put _that_ back almost immediately, disgusted. “Oh, _gross!”_ she gagged. _“_ Y-You know what, I think I’m done exploring for the day. I don’t wanna find out if there’s anything worse than that.”

“I’ll go with you on that front.” The two backed off, getting some distance between them and all the stuff. There, they stood and waited patiently, the sounds of Bandana Dee yelling out commands and recommendations to his fellow Dees barely echoing in the background. (“C-C’mon, guys, I think I see something in the back! It—It certainly looks big!”) As was coming increasingly more prevalent, an awkward calm sat between the two of them.

Idly, Rantaro took out his Monopad and turned it on. “You know, I’m honestly still surprised this thing works,” he remarked. “We’re pretty far from the Ultimate Academy, so we shouldn’t even be getting a signal.”

“That’s… a good point,” Kaede said, peering at Rantaro’s device, the screen bright with abstract green and yellow triangles. She tapped the Map function and found herself surprised at what came up. “Even the map of the school is still working. That shouldn’t be possible.” Suddenly, something caught her interest, out of the corner of her eye. “Is it me,” she inquired, “or does it look like the place has changed? I don’t remember _these_ two icons—” She pointed at the darkened area in the Academy’s courtyard—“being there. Like, at all.”

“They could be more Research Labs,” he suggested, a little curious about their appearance. “It’s not like you and Miu were the only two Ultimates around. Maybe if we tap on their icons…”

It was at that moment when King Dedede triumphantly emerged with a big box in his hands, drawing their attention away from the Monopad and to his brightly grinning form. _Whoa!_ Kaede gawked. _Wh-What’s up with him!? Did he find two tons of anime to watch!?_ “Ha ha!” he laughed. “Now _this_ is a treasure that needs to be shared!”

He jumped high above the rest of the pile – inhumanly high, in fact; for a moment Kaede was scared he’d soar past her and Rantaro and crash through the nearby wall using his Gonta-like strength – and landed right beside them, box somehow perfectly intact despite the impact. (That durability stat must be dang high.) It didn’t take Dedede long to place the box on the floor and rip off the packaging tape, face giddy with anticipation. “Oh ho ho—trust me, you guys are gonna like this!”

“Uhh…” Kaede blinked, eyebrows creasing in wonderment. “If—If you say so? Wh-What even is it?” _~~…I hope it’s not any shot put balls.~~_

With both his hands, he leaned in and pulled out… two unopened cases depicting modern-day smartphones. Like, seriously. _You have got to be kidding me,_ Kaede thought, exasperated. _And we **just** stumbled upon old flip phones a few minutes earlier._ “Ta-da! Some spare **Star Phones!** Completely different from Kirby’s Warp Star Phone, of course.”

“Star Phones, huh? Interesting name.” Rantaro crossed his arms, an amusedly interested expression on his face. “Pretty weird that you’d put _those_ all the way in here when it’s clear newer than everything else.”

Dedede casually shrugged, as best he could while he was holding stuff. “Hey, a good chunk of Pop Star already had these by the times we got ‘em – and by that point, it was just more fodder from the Robobot invasion to put away.” _Okay, those phones better have that dictionary I was talking about this morning. What is a ‘Robobot’—a robot **inside** a robot? Were they being invaded by robotception???_ “Since I’m clearly not going to be getting any use out of them, I might as well give them to you! It’s not like those Monopads are going to be very useful, so what’s the harm? Sure,” he waved a hand, “they’re not exactly the most recent model around—but a phone’s a phone.”

“Th-Thanks, then,” Kaede said, taking one of the phones to examine herself. “Pretty generous of you!” _Hmm…_ She held it up to her face. _It **does** look pretty modern,_ she thought. _I mean, it clearly uses a touch screen, just like the Monopads._ It took her a little bit to find the power button – hey, she’d never seen this phone model before – but once she did, the screen lit up happily, a splash screen showcasing a spinning white star against a solid cobalt wallpaper.

Several minutes of setting things up later, the home screen finally came up. There was your typical search bar and generic vanilla apps already installed, but it was the background that mesmerized her: it was an photo of space, transcendently azure and violet and twinkled with stars littered throughout – and in the middle was a yellow, star-shaped satellite surrounded by two overlapping white rings; presumably, a planet. “Wow,” she breathed, almost starstruck. “This is—this is _beautiful.”_

By the looks of it, Rantaro got the same background on his own new phone, based on the awed hums coming from his mouth. Dedede chuckled, looking over both of them from behind. “Heh heh heh—like it? That’s **Pop Star** , the World of Miracles – the planet we all live on!”

“…you know,” Kaede said, “when Kirby told me we lived on Pop Star, somehow, I… wasn’t expecting it to look like an _actual_ star. Like—I thought planets were supposed to be _round!”_

“Don’t worry,” Dedede replied, “we’ve got our fair share of round planets. We’ve just also got our fair share of irregularly shaped planets.” She could barely catch him mumbling something about a ‘Rock Star’ and a _“wait, does that even count anymore—?” Rock Star? I’m afraid to find out what **that** one looks like…_

 _~~(Is it one big rock, or a clump of rocks, or—oh great, now I’m thinking way too hard about this…)~~ _ ~~~~

“Well… it’s definitely not the strangest thing we’ve seen thus far,” Rantaro offered. “I’m all right with just going along with it. It’s got its own charm, in my opinion. I think that’s all we need.”

Kaede looked at her phone’s wallpaper again – and unconsciously, the edges of her mouth began to tip upward. “…yeah. You’re probably right.” Pop Star seemed to twinkle back at her brightly, as if it had as big a smile as Kirby could cook up. “…a **World of Miracles** , huh…?”

“O-Okay, everybody!” Bandana Dee’s voice suddenly piped up again. “One, two, three! One, two, three!”

Kaede, Rantaro, and Dedede looked up, and slowly emerging from the background was a decently-sized grand piano. It was brown, kind of ancient-looking, and more than a little dusty – but hey! With a bit of clean-up and fine-tuning, it’d be back on its way to piano perfection! And lifting it from its legs was Bandana Dee and his fellow Waddle Dee brothers, unsurprisingly enough.

What _was_ surprising was just how many Waddle Dees were clumped around a single leg at once. Which was half a dozen, minimum. There were also Waddle Dees stacked on top of each other and holding up the bottom of the piano themselves. They were slowly waddling along to Bandana Dee’s beat—“One, two, three! One, two, three!”—while visibly trying to keep their hold on the piano steady. (And at least one Waddle Dee was trying not to fall asleep at the wheel, so to speak.)

_…talk about strength by numbers._

“Hey, it looks like the Dees found the thing!” Dedede happily noted. “Heh—” He beamed radiantly. “I knew they could do it!”

“I imagine it’s not very hard to find something of that size here, even with all the junk piled up in storage,” Rantaro observed, casually lifting his arms up in a shrugging position. “Makes you wonder what they can really get up to if you let them.”

“I probably wouldn’t be able to get anything done without them, honestly,” Dedede admitted, completely nonchalantly. “They’re the best set of hard-working bees a king could ask for. And they’re really not bad company to be with.” Eyes darting to look at them warmly, he continued, “Maybe you guys should spend some time with them, when you’ve got nothing else to do. They like being with Kirby and Dee—so I’ve got no doubt that they’d take well to you, too.”

Kaede thought about that for a moment or two. “I… I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” she replied. “I’ll… think about it.”

“That’s all I ask for.”

* * *

Star Allies’ Dream Land

**Perfect King, Baby!:** we went out and finally got that old piano out of storage.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** the Dees are setting it up right now.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** so by tonight or so, it should be ready for Kaede to play!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** it was heavy,, like _really_ heavy,,,

 **Assistant of the Stars:** but we made it!!!

 **BestFriendTrend:** that’s great!

 **BestFriendTrend:** it’d be neato to have people who can play some _actual_ music

 **BestFriendTrend:** like you guys know i can’t play worth crap

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** or sing

 **Assistant of the Stars:** plz dont try out the piano Kirby

 **Assistant of the Stars:** plz don’t

 **Assistant of the Stars:** we dont have a way to fix itttt

 **BestFriendTrend:** don’t worry, i won’t

 **Assistant of the Stars:** phew!!!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** anyway

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** you know, at some point we should add in the rest of the Star Allies to this server.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** it’s not like they’ve got a whole lot to do round here

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** and just us here is kinda… quiet

 **BestFriendTrend:** i’ve been meaning to, honestly

 **BestFriendTrend:** but i’m a little hesitant on hooking marx up with a phone

 **BestFriendTrend:** i’m a Friend™ and all but even i know what a risky decision is

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** which is a Miracle™ in and of itself

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** _cough_ sleeping in the middle of a bunch of meteors _cough_

 **BestFriendTrend:** so says the guy who jumped into a lake on Frostak

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** touché.

 **Assistant of the Stars:** _shudder_

 **Assistant of the Stars:** marx??? wth a phone??? _on this server?????_

 **Assistant of the Stars:** plz no,,,

 **Assistant of the Stars:** nuuuuuuuuu

 **BestFriendTrend:** don’t worry, i’m not adding him now

 **BestFriendTrend:** i don’t want this place to become an ocean of memes yet

 **Assistant of the Stars:** oh,,, phew!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** that reminds me!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** i also found some old smartphones from the Robobot invasion

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** gave one to Kaede and Rantaro

 **BestFriendTrend:** wait wait wait

 **BestFriendTrend:** _what_

 **Assistant of the Stars:** oh, those things! i forgot all about them!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** yep! they were just sitting there, so I figured, why not?

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** not sure what they’ll do with it but I’m sure they’ll think of something.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** their world must’ve have had phones too with technology like those Monopads

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** and I just realized I never gave them unrestricted wifi so they can probably only access chat features and stuff

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** whoops

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** …

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** uh, Kirby

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** Kirby are you going to respond anytime soon or

 **BestFriendTrend:** hold on a minute

 **Assistant of the Stars:** ?????

* * *

**Castle Dedede – Kaede’s Room**

And so, Kaede found herself holed up in her room again, same as she’d been that morning – and much like she’d been then, she had no idea what to do next currently. The Waddle Dees were going to be setting up the piano for a while – and while she could’ve done it by herself, they insisted on doing the task themselves, and that ‘it wouldn’t be any trouble.’ She didn’t want to argue, so she left them to it— _Though, now I’m wondering if that was a great idea. Because, well… I… don’t have a whole lot else to do right now…_

So instead of letting her mind lapse back into thinking about the killing game ~~(and worrying about all the things her friends were getting up to without her)~~ , she went and explored all the features of her new Star Phone.

There was certainly a number of things it could do: she could draw on it (there was even a stylus!), call and message people (obviously), access social media (kind of; unfortunately wi-fi was currently limited)… it was an ordinary phone, all things considered. Somehow, after everything that she had seen and everything that had happened, it was… comforting to know that some things in the multiverse never changed.

Also worth noting was this app called Discord pre-installed on the Star Phone. As far as she could tell, it was… a social media thing? Why it was here when there was already plenty of other apps around was beyond her—but hey, it didn’t hurt to at least check it out. She set up an account—due to a lack of ideas, she just put her screen name as ‘Kaede Akamatsu’ _(Note to self: brainstorm actual pseudonyms later,_ she thought _;_ it wasn’t like she used these types of things a lot)—and exited out after a bit of wandering about. She was scrolling through all the settings on her phone when she received a notification:

> _**Discord**  
>  __You’ve been given an invite to **Star Allies’ Dream Land!**  
>  _ [Accept / Decline]

_…eh?_ Kaede blinked. _What’s this?_ Out of curiosity, she pressed the ‘accept’ prompt that came up, and—

> _Hiiiiiiii! **Kaede Akamatsu** has come to Dream Land!_
> 
> **BestFriendTrend:** yayyyy! you pressed yes!
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** so that’s what you were doing
> 
> **Assistant of the Stars:** oh! hi kaede!

…and now she was even more confused. _Okay, who’s speaking to me?_

> **Kaede Akamatsu:** Uhh… hi?
> 
> **Kaede Akamatsu:** What… is this?
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** it’s a group chat
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** in Discord
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** you know
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** to chat in
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** i’m Dedede, by the way

Oh, okay! That made… a little more sense. Everyone was using different usernames. She didn’t particularly know _why,_ but… she could work around that.

> **Assistant of the Stars:** bandana dee here, ready to make friends happy! ^_^
> 
> **Assistant of the Stars:** i hope youre doing okay, kaede
> 
> **BestFriendTrend:** and i’m Kirby, if you can’t tell already
> 
> **BestFriendTrend:** good to see you’re doing just fine, kaede
> 
> **BestFriendTrend:** welcome aboard the Discord Friend Train to hell
> 
> **Kaede Akamatsu:** …uhh… thanks, everyone?

How was she supposed to respond to that last statement, exactly…?

“That’s… a joke, I think,” she told herself. Embarrassingly enough, she wasn’t _quite_ certain. At the very least, though… it brought a little smile to her face.

~~(A part of her had to admit, as well: it was nice that Kirby considered her a friend. He wasn’t Shuichi, don’t get her wrong; nothing could ever really replace him—but… she still felt a little warm inside from it.)~~

> **Perfect King, Baby!:** All aboard! CHOO CHOO!
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** [friendtraingo.jpg](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/kirby/images/c/cc/2018041916594700-B20FAEC679A3A9320864DC374CFB9713.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180420001927&path-prefix=en)

And now she was just _giggling_ at the image that promptly popped up beneath Dedede’s latest message: that of Kirby wearing this goofy-looking conductor’s hat, with a gigantic train whistle attached over it, followed by a bunch of weird-looking creatures— _and_ it was accompanied by the declaration that this was a ‘Friend Train’, right at the top of the image. (Yep—it certainly was.) _What—What even **is** that?_ she attempted to comprehend, smiling profusely.

> **Kaede Akamatsu:** Wow, that’s… that’s cute! How’d you take that photo?
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** well, I didn’t take it myself
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** it’s kind of a long story, let me tell you that
> 
> **Assistant of the Stars:** ohhhhh i remember that!!!
> 
> **Assistant of the Stars:** that was a lot of fun!!!
> 
> _Hiiiiiiii! **Rantaro Amami** has come to Dream Land!_
> 
> **Rantaro Amami:** okay, what’s this all about
> 
> **Rantaro Amami:** …what the heck?
> 
> **Rantaro Amami:** i don’t even?

Oh, look—Rantaro was on board this ‘Friend Train’ now, too! Kaede’s smile slipped for a moment, before she washed _those thoughts_ away and let it come back. “I guess it wouldn’t be very fun if it was only me, huh?” she mused to herself, shaking her head.

* * *

Star Allies’ Dream Land

**Kaede Akamatsu:** Hey, Rantaro!

 **Rantaro Amami:** oh, hey kaede

 **Rantaro Amami:** guess it’s not too surprising to see you here

 **BestFriendTrend:** and that makes five of us here

 **BestFriendTrend:** the perfect number!

 **BestFriendTrend:** well six, if you count meta knight

 **Rantaro Amami:** who?

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** isn’t he, like, never online though?

 **BestFriendTrend:** which is why we should go bother him until he gets online

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** Kirby! You shouldn’t do that! It’s rude!

 **BestFriendTrend:** but it’s not like he would mindddddd

 **BestFriendTrend:** he’d understand it’s for the greater good!!!

 **BestFriendTrend:** okay more for our amusement but you get the idea

 **Assistant of the Stars:** plz dont torment him,,

 **Assistant of the Stars:** i dont want him to grump at us again

 **Assistant of the Stars:** hes scary,,,

 **Rantaro Amami:** i’m gonna repeat myself: who?

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** What Rantaro said. Who’s Meta Knight?

 **BestFriendTrend:** he’s a friend of ours

 **BestFriendTrend:** he’s been away for a couple of weeks

 **BestFriendTrend:** i’m pretty sure he can spare the time to talk with us a little :3

 **Rantaro Amami:** somehow i doubt that

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** Enough about this one guy. Let’s talk about ourselves!

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** We haven’t been all too acquainted yet, so I think it’d be best if we tried to get to know each other a little better!

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** You know… since we’re not constrained by the whole ‘killing game’ now…

 **BestFriendTrend:** sure, i’m game for it

 **BestFriendTrend:** but first we need good nicknames for you guys

 **BestFriendTrend:** in this server, at least

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** What do we even use, then? I didn’t exactly have any ideas—that’s why I’ve just got my real name here as my username.

 **Rantaro Amami:** i’ve got an idea i just didn’t feel like putting it in yet

 **Assistant of the Stars: @Kaede Akamatsu** oh no!!! thats terrible!!!!!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** dont worry! i can come up with something for you!!!

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** Oh! Thanks, Bandana Dee!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** he’s our perfect little boi

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** _sniff_ never change, Dee _sniff_

 **Rantaro Amami:** we can see that, yeah

 **Assistant of the Stars:** okay!! um you do piano things right?

 **Kaede Akamatsu:** Yes. That’s why I’m the Ultimate Pianist.

 **Assistant of the Stars:** mmm

 **Assistant of the Stars:** mmmmmm

 **Assistant of the Stars:** mmmmmmmmm

 **Assistant of the Stars:** mmmmmmmmmmmm,,,

 **Rantaro Amami:** lotta mmms there

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** shush let our good boi think

 **Assistant of the Stars:** oh!!! i got it!!!!!

 **_Assistant of the Stars_ ** _changed **Kaede Akamatsu’s** nickname to **PianoPianoPanic**._

 **Assistant of the Stars:** here it is!!!!!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** do do you like it???

 **PianoPianoPanic:** This… This is pretty good! I don’t mind it at all!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I think it suits me alright; I _am_ a bit of a Piano Freak after all.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** …wait, where did the asterisks I put go?

 **BestFriendTrend:** don’t worry that’s supposed to happen

 **BestFriendTrend:** plus now we kind of match with our screennames

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I guess there’s that, too?

 **Assistant of the Stars:** thats

 **Assistant of the Stars:** thats good to hear,,, im happy i could be a friend today! ^_^

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** and there’s the perfect assistant i know

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** i think a tear’s dropping down my cheek right now actually

 **Assistant of the Stars:** oh no!!! dont worry Great King! ill make it better!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** do you need any tissues? i can get tissues!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** wha?

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** oh no, I’m fine, Dee! you don’t need to worry!

 **Rantaro Amami:** and that just leaves me

 **Rantaro Amami:** i’ll make this quick

 **_Rantaro Amami_ ** _changed their nickname to **A Secret to Everybody**._

 **A Secret to Everybody:** perfect

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** …i didn’t know you played Zelda.

 **A Secret to Everybody:** my sisters played it a lot

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i couldn’t resist

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I’m going to guess it’s gonna take you a while longer before you get around to remembering what your Ultimate talent is.

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i’ll be the outcast for a while i suppose

 **A Secret to Everybody:** cuz there’s a very likely chance everyone else’ll be coming here

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i’m definitely keeping this username tho i kinda like it

 **BestFriendTrend:** you know zelda but you don’t know us???

 **BestFriendTrend:** i feel so betrayed

 **BestFriendTrend:** your world is cursed beyond belief

 **BestFriendTrend:** you have shamed us all

 **BestFriendTrend:** and for that i must give you this

 **BestFriendTrend:** [kirbyofdisappointment.png](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/334/395/40c.jpg)

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** what have you done!?

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** you’ve doomed us all!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** oh _nooooooooo_ D:

 **A Secret to Everybody:** oh god

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i didn’t need this on my conscience

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i _really_ didn’t need this on my conscience

 **A Secret to Everybody:** mercy! mercy!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Oh, jeez! I’m not even the one who ‘shamed us all’ and that image is making _me_ feel disappointed at myself!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** He’s sorry, Kirby, you don’t have to do this!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** _Why am I panicking over this!?_

 **BestFriendTrend:** i’m not gonna stop until he acknowledges his sins

 **A Secret to Everybody:** okay okay i’m sorry i didn’t recognize you immediately

 **A Secret to Everybody:** you’re a great video game character there i said it

 **A Secret to Everybody:** forgive me already

 **BestFriendTrend:** okay!

 **A Secret to Everybody:** oh thank god

 **A Secret to Everybody:** that took _years_ off my life

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Hold on, hold on—

 **PianoPianoPanic:** What’s this about video game characters now?

 **Assistant of the Stars:** like Great King said,, its kind of a long story

 **Assistant of the Stars:** but me, kirby, and Great King

 **Assistant of the Stars:** were all video game characters!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** nintendo people if you need to know that,,

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Really!?

 **PianoPianoPanic:** …now that I think about it, that kind of makes sense.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I mean, you guys definitely aren’t ‘normal’—no offense, of course.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** none taken

 **PianoPianoPanic:** And this whole world could only be pulled straight out of a fantasy novel or children’s book. Something that most video games, as far as I can tell, usually tend to do.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I’m not exactly an expert on this—I’ve only been a Piano Freak all my life—but that’s what it looks like to me, honestly.

 **BestFriendTrend:** perceptive. like a protagonist!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Uhh—thanks!

 **A Secret to Everybody:** well that’s an interesting term to use

 **Assistant of the Stars:** yay protagonists!!!

 **BestFriendTrend:** anyway

 **BestFriendTrend:** when i said i was the resident protagonist, i was serious

 **BestFriendTrend:** pop star’s often the target of many an evil bad guy, and my friends and i often rise up to defend it, kick the evil bad guys out, and then we have lunch and a nap

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i sympathize with those priorities

 **BestFriendTrend:** i also like to sass people

 **BestFriendTrend:** there’s no situation that can’t be made better by sassing

 **BestFriendTrend:** it’s fun

 **BestFriendTrend:** cuz i’m awesome and they know it

 **PianoPianoPanic:** That’s, uh… interesting?

 **BestFriendTrend:** oh—i also like to make new friends while we’re at it!

 **BestFriendTrend:** there’s a reason my username’s ‘ **BestFriendTrend** ’, you know.

 **BestFriendTrend:** everyone can be a good friend if they try! that’s my motto

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Well, you _do_ seem like the type of person who’d find a way to befriend every person that comes your way. And I think that’s pretty noble of you!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** speaking of which

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** you have no idea how many bad guys Kirby has turned to the good side.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** like me!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** okay technically i was very, _very_ low on the scale of evil bad guys

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** like so low it wasn’t even evil anymore; just petty. really, really petty.

 **A Secret to Everybody:** sounds like you and kirby have a lot of history

 **BestFriendTrend:** understatement of the century

 **PianoPianoPanic:** At least you weren’t like the mastermind of our killing game.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** i guess there’s that

 **Assistant of the Stars:** Great King could never be a mastermind!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** hes too great for that!!!

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** not the words I’d use, but thanks, Dee

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** anyway, after we finally settled our differences, we became best friends, and now he and I spend a lot of time together

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** that doesn’t mean we won’t enjoy the occasional Smash match together, of course

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** it’s good to have his company round while you’re ruling the kingdom

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Oh! That’s right! You’re a king!

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i thought his username told enough about that

 **PianoPianoPanic:** _Shhhh,_ I can see that!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** What’s it like, being a ruler, anyway? No one back at the Ultimate Academy really had any experience in leading… and Kokichi definitely doesn’t count.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I have no how true him being the ‘Ultimate Supreme Leader’ is.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** well it’s not too bad

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** when you rule over a quiet place like Dream Land, that’s to be expected

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** there’s still paperwork though

 **PianoPianoPanic:** That sounds… not fun.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** you have no idea

 **Assistant of the Stars:** and that just leaves me!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** im Great Kings great assistant!!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** i help him and kirby out when they need it and i try my best to well do my best in saving the galaxy!!!

 **BestFriendTrend:** he tries his best :D

 **Assistant of the Stars:** i like to be friends with people too!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** everyone here has been a great friend,,, and you guys especially have been amazing friends!!!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** i havent known you for too long but im confident in saying that!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** _Awwww—_ you’ve been an amazing friend, too!

 **A Secret to Everybody:** you’d probably melt Monokuma to dust just by looking at him

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** and if that doesn’t work, Dee’s got a spear.

 **BestFriendTrend:** and spear’s a good ability, trust me on that

 **A Secret to Everybody:** as for me

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i can’t really tell you much about my talent

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i’m suspicious or unreliable or anything

 **A Secret to Everybody:** just suffering from a bit of amnesia

 **Assistant of the Stars:** thats awful,,, D:

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i can tell you other things tho

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i’ve got twelve sisters i care for

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** you have _how many now._

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i have twelve

 **Assistant of the Stars:** whaaaaaaa

 **Assistant of the Stars:** ssuch a,, a big number @_@

 **A Secret to Everybody:** yeah i get that all the time

 **BestFriendTrend:** i feel like that’s a lot like me leading my combined group of Star Allies.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** like when we went through the Jambandra Base?

 **BestFriendTrend:** yeah except maybe minus the massacre of their army

 **A Secret to Everybody:** they’re the greatest sisters i could have

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i’d travel the world for them

 **A Secret to Everybody:** tho i can’t quite do that anymore

 **A Secret to Everybody:** for obvious reasons

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Rantaro… I…

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I’m sorry.

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i told you before, it’s alright

 **A Secret to Everybody:** i know you didn’t mean to do it

 **Assistant of the Stars:** a anyway!

 **Assistant of the Stars:** dont worry rantaro! im sure youll find your way back to them someday!

 **A Secret to Everybody:** …perhaps.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** …ahem!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** So!

 **PianoPianoPanic:** That leaves just me, then.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** You guys already know about me, I hope.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I’m a Piano Freak. And I really do love playing the piano. Admittedly, I do it a little too much—but I don’t think it’s that bad! Though, I’m welcome to try out new things as well! So long as I don’t get injured while doing it or anything, anyway.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I’d like to say I’m kind and optimistic, and I try to be a good leader to all of my friends. Sure, they can be a bit… difficult at times, and they like to go off and do their own things—but they weren’t all bad, and I really grew attached to them, if I’m being honest.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I wanted to help them out from our shared predicament, save them from Monokuma’s twisted killing game—but in the end, all I really did was make things worse for them. For Shuichi. Nothing I did… really mattered, in the end.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** …I wish I didn’t have to leave them.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Even though it had only been a few days at best… I want to say we all were close, thanks to the events we’d been through.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** But the actions I took had consequences. For both me, and them. And… I couldn’t just ignore their existence, no matter how hard I tried.

 **A Secret to Everybody:** …wasn’t there the first blood perk tho?

 **A Secret to Everybody:** you could’ve taken that

 **PianoPianoPanic:** …

 **PianoPianoPanic:** …that’d be running away from my problems, too.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** And I definitely wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I just took the coward’s way out.

 **A Secret to Everybody:** …that’s something i can respect.

 **Assistant of the Stars:** kaede,,,,, (;_;)

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** …ouch. that—that really hit me in the feels.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** dang.

 **Perfect King, Baby!:** you two have been through a lot, huh?

 **BestFriendTrend:** **@PianoPianoPanic** …you’re a precious girl who must be protected.

 **BestFriendTrend:** You need, like, two dozen hugs, on the double.

 **BestFriendTrend:** And half a dozen more cakes at the very least.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** Oh! You… don’t have to do that, you know.

 **PianoPianoPanic:** I’m—I’m perfectly fine! And I don’t really deserve it, anyway.

 **BestFriendTrend:** You _do_ deserve it.

 **BestFriendTrend:** It doesn’t matter what you had to do, or the regrets you have that you feel hold you back.

 **BestFriendTrend:** You tried your best. You wanted to help. That matters, above all else.

 **BestFriendTrend:** I’ve seen a lot of things in my time on this planet—and though I don’t exactly know the full extent of what happened…

 **BestFriendTrend:** You deserve a chance to be happy. You and Rantaro.

 **BestFriendTrend:** **Never** let anyone tell you otherwise.

 **BestFriendTrend:** …alright?

* * *

**Castle Dedede – Kaede’s Room**

Kaede couldn’t help but stare at her Star Phone, her eyes repeatedly reading the last few lines that Kirby had posted, almost in disbelief.

 _He… He really believes in me,_ she realized. He knew a little about her circumstances, she remembered; at minimum, he knew about what she’d done to Rantaro, however accidentally it might have been. There was a whole list of failures that could be built up from her alone ~~(that’s how she felt, anyway)~~ , most of which could probably easily be inferred. He knew she wasn’t perfect—and yet, he didn’t care.

He, and Dedede, and Bandana Dee – heck, even Rantaro took things in stride, for the most part. All of them seemed to be able to look past whatever transgressions she had made; they even understood her reasoning to some extent. And when she herself could barely handle the weight of all of her admittedly self-inflicted turmoil… it really meant a lot, that they were willing to lift her up like that.

They forgave her wholeheartedly.

…maybe she could learn to forgive herself.

Her fingers tapped the touch-sensitive keyboard on her phone as she wrote up a response to Kirby’s little speech.

> **PianoPianoPanic:** …thanks, Kirby.
> 
> **BestFriendTrend:** anytime, Kaede!
> 
> **A Secret to Everybody:** damn that was a good speech
> 
> **A Secret to Everybody:** you do that kind of thing a lot?
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** all the time.
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** he’s really good at things like that.
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** that’s part of how he managed to befriend so many people who you’d think would be impossible to befriend
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** just a few words and he’s already got you in his grasp.
> 
> **BestFriendTrend:** i’m also pretty persistent when it comes to making friends
> 
> **Perfect King, Baby!:** yeah, that too.
> 
> **Assistant of the Stars:** sometimes it can be scary,,, especially w/ the bad guys,,,
> 
> **Assistant of the Stars:** but im happy hes so great at doing b/c otherwise we wouldnt have so many friends around!!!

Kaede smiled. _I wonder if we’ll ever get to meet the people they’re talking about. They sound like they’d be great to meet… ~~And I hope that someday, I’ll be able to have everyone else here, too…~~_

> **PianoPianoPanic:** Hey—maybe you guys can show us all the other friends you’ve made!
> 
> **A Secret to Everybody:** yeah that’d be cool
> 
> **A Secret to Everybody:** it’d be pretty weird if it was just you three living here
> 
> **BestFriendTrend:** mmm, maybe! we’ll just have to see~!

“I suppose that’s the best we’ll be able to get right now,” she said to herself, out loud. She was fine with waiting a little – there wasn’t any time limit hanging over her this time.

She looked out the window—daylight was still shining into her room, and it looked like it’d take a while longer before the sun even settled down below the horizon. Beneath the blue, cloudless sky, Dream Land _flourished,_ the grass and the flora almost practically bouncing with the chirping of the birds, a windmill-like structure in the distance blowing in serenity. There was something truly happy and natural about it, unstifled by outside influences (compared to the Ultimate Academy, which was as lifeless as you could get)—and… here and now, she could really appreciate the simple beauty in all of it.

“…I might be able to really make this work after all,” she mused. She put a hand over her chest as she continued to listen to nature thrive across the green garden before her. “So… here’s hoping things turn out well, in the end.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I lied, we’re gonna have two chapters before the plot comes back around: one fluffy, and one angsty. Perfect for the whole family!
> 
> So I’ve been reading too many group chat fics on AO3 – DRV3 ones, unsurprisingly – and it got me thinking: ‘Hey, why not do a bit of that for the **Make a Friend** ‘verse? I think it’d be cute!’ It’s a bit of an experiment for me, but I think I can make it work! This _did_ result in an inflated word count yet again, but that’s par for the course with me at this point.
> 
> Kirby being a sassy internet troll was just too good to pass up.
> 
> I’m taking a few liberties with how Discord works, but I hope it doesn’t sap away too much from this chapter. Ended up a little longer than I expected (which describes half of my life at this point), but ‘tis still great!
> 
> There’ll be a group chat chapter once an arc (which, timeline-wise, basically comprises the immediate post-Trial revivals and following Daily Life segments of a canon DRV3 chapter). And there’ll be more and more I hope you guys look forward to those; I gotta keep a good balance of angst to fluff, after all.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for when Kaede plays Clair de Lune on that there grand piano!


	7. Watch Me Cry All My Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With only the light of the moon to illuminate her sight, and her regrets and last wishes still running through her mind, Kaede sits down to play a tune her heart knew so well. (And unbeknownst to her, there are a few guests around to watch her performance.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are heavy spoilers for Chapter 6 of DRV3 in this chapter, though they’re only implied—so reader discretion is advised.

**Castle Dedede – Throne Room**

_There it is,_ Kaede thought. _My— **Dedede’s** piano._

True to Dedede’s word, the grand piano hoisted from the storage room was now prominently displayed off to the side in his throne room. The Waddle Dees had done a spectacular job getting it back into perfect condition – gone was the dust and the worn-out nature, replaced with sparkles and shines. It was as if it had never been in storage, sitting cramped next to about a dozen different other big things.

…okay, that last part was speculation; she didn’t _actually_ get to see exactly where the piano happened to be located. But _—you get the idea!_

From the entrance, she walked over to the piano, taking in its appearance as it shone gloriously beneath the moonlight shining through the window. She put her hand over its surface, a melancholic look on her face. It felt pretty cold and smooth, all things considered—but that was to be expected, given the Dees’ meticulous cleaning job.

Evening had fallen a while back, but Kaede found herself unable to close her eyes—in part due to her anticipating the arrival of her beloved instrument. She was itching to get back to business, back to familiar territory – so when Bandana Dee had informed her that the restoration process was complete (and _wow,_ let her just say, Waddle Dees worked _fast),_ how could she not go see it with her very own eyes?

~~(It was better than allowing her inner guilt to torment her again, anyway.)~~

_So, here it is. Just sitting around. Waiting for me to play it, anytime I want to._

_…somehow, now that I’ve got it here, it’s… a lot more intimidating than it should be._

_…_

_C-Come on, Kaede!_ she told herself, clasping her hands over her cheeks. _It’s—It’s just a piano. You know, your whole livelihood! It’s not gonna come alive ~~or smash your strangled self into a smoothie~~ or anything! **You can do this!**_

Nodding to herself, she sat down at the provided bench behind the grand piano, instinctively placing her fingers over the keys in preparation to perform. She didn’t need any sheet music to guide her way; having practiced so many songs ad nauseum over the years, this one included, the instructions at this point simply came naturally to her mind.

She allowed herself to relax a little.

It wouldn’t do to be distracted during showtime.

**_~~‘Hmm… a pretty song to play for you… Oh—how about ‘Clair de Lune’, by Debussy!’~~ _ **

“This is for you, Shuichi,” she said quietly.

[And then, she began to play.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNcsUNKlAKw)

* * *

_~~In a Research Lab, adorned with accessories meant for the late Ultimate Pianist, a black-capped detective stood facing the lone grand piano in the middle of the chamber. From the music player sitting almost unnoticeably in the corner, a soft melody echoed past his ears—the song she once promised to play for him.~~ _

_~~His well of chaotic emotions—which had sprouted during the earlier investigation and had summarily exploded throughout the Class Trial—finally died down as his body fully enveloped itself in the music. He closed his eyes, words from his lost friend coming up to the surface of his brain.~~ _

~~‘…you noticed, huh? Yeah… I’m shaking, too. I’d… I’d be a mess if you weren’t here.~~

~~‘I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. I’d be so lost.~~

~~‘…I’m glad you’re with me, Shuichi.~~

~~‘With you by my side, I feel like I can stand up to anything. You give me the courage I need to take on the mastermind.~~

~~‘So please… be more confident.~~

**~~‘I believe in you, so you should definitely believe in yourself!’~~ **

_~~He stared out of the unveiled windows, the End Wall that surrounded the Ultimates’ glorified prison perfectly visible from the given angle.~~ _

~~…yeah, _he thought._ I’ll try. I don’t know if I can do it, but—~~

_~~He shook his head.~~ _ ~~No, **I’ll do it!** I have to believe in myself. I won’t be afraid anymore. I’ll face the truth, for everyone.~~

~~I won’t give up, for your sake.~~

~~From the bottom of my heart, I promise you, Kaede… I’ll stand my ground, and I’ll get everyone out of this Killing Game.~~

~~Wherever you are, right now… I hope you know that.~~

* * *

~~~~She once described the tune, forever and a day ago, she was playing as ‘a soothing song that calms your heart, like the moon’s reflection on water.’ True to form, she felt all of her lingering fears and worries fade away while her fingers danced across the keyboard. She was back in her element, the environment she knew so well – and it had never been so liberating in her life, especially after everything that had occurred since then.

The melodious sounds of the classic track resounded throughout the expansive room, Kaede losing herself to the familiar actions of her past. (What could she say? Once a Piano Freak, always a Piano Freak.) She was so engrossed in her impromptu piano recital that she didn’t notice somebody else coming into the throne room, sitting on the floor and listening to the music alongside her.

It wasn’t the most masterful piece, or necessarily even her absolute favorite one—there were plenty of compositions she liked equally, honestly—but here and now, when she was relatively at peace, and when this song today held so much significance to her… well, it certainly brought a little smile to her face. Before she knew it, she had reached the end of her memorized tune – and she let her arms drop back down to her sides, a sense of satisfaction flowing through her veins.

_…I did it. I actually did it._

_It… shouldn’t be this much of an accomplishment, but… it is._

_Maybe it’s because it’s closing out a chapter of my old life. Or maybe it’s because—in a way—I’m fulfilling that last promise to Shuichi. Either way… I feel pretty great about it._

_You know… it’s funny,_ she continued to ponder. _It’s technically been only a few days since I was kidnapped—and yet… it feels like a whole eternity’s passed since then._

_I wonder if every day’s gonna be the same way…_

Her thoughts turned again to her best friend, still back at the Ultimate Academy. _Shuichi… Are you doing okay, right now? Have you managed to get over… ~~(my being slammed crushed stomped shut **smashed to death** —)~~ …my not being there anymore?_

_…_

_…heh, I don’t need to ask that—I know in my heart what the answer is._

_You’ll do just fine, even if the road ahead of you won’t be easy._

_I can imagine what you’d say, if I could hear you right now…_

From the bottom of my heart, I promise you, Kaede… I’ll stand my ground, and I’ll get everyone out of this Killing Game.

 _Yep,_ she thought, _that’s our promise. There’s a lot I’m leaving up to you—like, **everything** —but… you won’t let me down. I’m willing to bet on that._

She sat there in silence for a little while, quite content, until…

“…hey, that wasn’t all that bad.”

Kaede turned to her right – and there was Rantaro, seated on the carpet below and wearing a smile of his own. Evidently, he hadn’t been able to sleep either, and it could be assumed he had been wandering around until he stumbled upon the Ultimate Pianist putting her talent to good use. _Guess my sense of awareness is less enhanced than my hearing,_ she remarked.

 _~~( **A perfect joke,** ~~ _ ~~that ever-persistent voice snidely whispered. ** _You were so distracted with your pity party, he could’ve taken revenge right then and there, and you never would have noticed._**~~

 _~~But he didn’t,~~ _ ~~she mentally retorted. _If he didn’t do it when he came back, he wouldn’t do it now._ _He’s better than that. Better than **me.**_ Her inner tormentor had no answer to that.)~~

“I’m—I’m glad to hear that!” No, really—she was genuinely glad to hear that compliment come out of him. “I know it hasn’t been that long since I last played it, and it’s a bit irrational to say this, but—it’s nice, hearing that I haven’t gotten rusty.”

“I don’t think it’s possible for an Ultimate to get rusty at their talent, but hey!” Rantaro shrugged. “If it makes you feel better, who am I to complain?” He got up, walking up to the piano Kaede was situated at. He gazed at it about as sentimentally as the Pianist herself had, though it was predictably for very different reasons. “…we had a piano like this back home,” he recalled.

“R-Really?” _H-Huh…! The more things you know…_

“Yeah. One of my sisters loved to play it. We’d gather up in the living room just to have fun together, playing whatever came to our minds at the time. I was never really good at it—” _Guess that means I won’t need to share a talent, then,_ Kaede internally joked _—_ “but it didn’t matter. I’d do anything for them. And everybody was having fun, so there was no harm. We had more than a few family videos taped with that type of stuff.” He sat down beside his fellow Ultimate, his eyes glazed over with fond remembrance. “…I wonder what they’re doing without me…”

Kaede had never worn that expression much herself, but she could understand exactly what it was that Rantaro was feeling at that moment. She knew what it was like to be a sibling, too. And since all this talk about sisters was stirring up some memories of her own…

“My twin sister and I, we were pretty much the same way,” she said. “When she wasn’t dragging me out of playing—” Which was exceptionally embarrassing to remember, honestly; Kaori often complained about her terrible eating habits whenever she practiced—“Kaori liked to join me on the piano. Before I was officially called the Ultimate Pianist, we’d even have little competitions over who could play better.”

Rantaro raised an eyebrow in amusement. “I’m guessing you always won?”

“Every single time.” It was a bit of a sore spot for her sister, actually. _‘Come on!’_ she once griped, _‘Can’t you gimme a chance and play some simpler songs, or something? You know I can’t keep up with you!’_

 _‘Hey, you’re the one who keeps challenging me!’_ Kaede had replied. _‘I can’t just go easy on you, even if you’re family!”_

_‘Mmmmmm~… It’s still unfair…’_

She giggled a little. “Even though she never came to close to beating me, she never stopped trying her best. She’s as determined as I am.” _Not to mention just as undeterrable—oh, and righteous, too._ (Unfortunately, those weren’t always positive traits—Kaede wouldn’t have admitted it normally, but it was that stubborn sense of justice that got her executed. _And I wish ~~—and I bet Shuichi wishes, too—~~ that things didn’t have to be that way.)_ “If she found out I was missing… she’d do whatever it takes to find me.”

Wasn’t that a sobering thought? There were times in the Academy where she fretted over the well-being of her family, given how Monokuma managed to capture sixteen separate Ultimates on an inconspicuous level to the world at large. Even worse, she couldn’t know if they were still safe—for all intents and purposes, her younger twin sister was virtually alone back home, potentially a target based simply on her late sibling’s status.

Kaede knew that fact would haunt her for a good long while. And for Rantaro, who had twelve other sisters to worry about… those feelings were likely only amplified even further.

“Whatever it takes, huh…?” Rantaro crossed his arms, eyes closed in contemplation. The Ultimate duo stayed like that for several more moments, the only sound filling the air being the gentle spring breeze blowing outdoors. Though neither of them really had much of an idea to take the conversation next, they could both enjoy the quite tranquil atmosphere.

“…there’s something I remember vividly, right before my memory cuts out completely,” he revealed. The Pianist’s head whirled to face him, looking incredibly staggered. “While my family and I were on a trip, there was… an incident. The finer details elude me entirely, and the image itself is more than a little blurry—but I don’t think I could ever forget seeing how terrified each of my little sisters were at that minute.” A dark look crossed his face, his eyes gazing downward – seemingly, in self-loathing. “Someone must’ve gotten them—maybe even the same someone who trapped us all to begin with. And I can’t be there to save them, if that’s the case.”

Kaede began to feel a surge of guilt well up inside of her. _…I’m the reason why that’s the case to begin with._ “…h-hey,” she stammered out, “Rantaro. L-Listen, I’m sorr—”

“It’s alright,” the Ultimate Question Mark interrupted her, restoring his normally jovial mood. “You don’t need to apologize to me again. You were just making the most of a bad situation, and I can’t fault you for that. Nobody—you and I included—could’ve foreseen things turning out the way they did.”

(Was that really true, though…? What should’ve happened, and what actually happened; ~~his coming into the library, Kaede carrying out her plan—~~

Something wasn’t right. Everything was a little too clear-cut, a little too ‘perfectly’ aligned.

…

_~~How much did the mastermind know about his **Monopad** , about Kaede’s capture trap-turned-deadly device?~~ _

~~Plus, knowing how easily Kaede could unite all sixteen Ultimates, perhaps it was possible that they… that they…~~

…

…maybe he should put these musings away for later. ~~Kaede might break down if she heard what he was theorizing. She’d already been through so much as it was.)~~

He continued, “Anyway… don’t be so hard on yourself, Kaede. Even if we can’t be there for our loved ones, they’ll never forget us. We’ll never forget them, either. So long as everyone remembers that, maybe things’ll be okay.” A sense of déjà vu hit Rantaro, as if he had said something along those lines once before. “On that note… I think we could do with a little more hope in our lives right now.” He smiled. “All this depressing talk must be pretty heavy, so I wouldn’t mind hearing more of your music.”

That was exactly what Kaede needed to hear. “That’s fine by me,” she said, her optimistic tone coming back into her voice. _Like I promised myself earlier, I’m gonna make the most of this second chance—and that starts with lifting our spirits up and outta these topics!_ “I’ll even let you have a few tries at this, how ‘bout it? If you’re not lying about having played before, that is~” she teased. Just because he claimed he was ‘never really that good at it’, doesn’t mean he was terrible!

“Oh, I’m definitely not on your level,” he said, casually shrugging with his hands held upward, “but if you want me to give things a shot, I won’t protest it.”

“Great!” She rolled up her sleeves and pumped her fists into the air. “I’ll start first. Listen well, okay?”

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Rantaro was far from the only person attracted to the music: a trio of colorful Dream Landers stood behind the entrance to the throne room, hidden behind the outward-opening doors. In fact, there was a whole crowd of Waddle Dees accompanying them, each one eager to see how the piano they had painstakingly refurbished would perform. (They weren’t disappointed.)

Bandana Dee sniffed, wiping a couple tears from his eyes. His brethren were similarly clapping their hands in enjoyment. “Th-That was… That was b- _beautiful…”_ he articulated, struggling to hold in all his joy. “I—I’ve never heard such—such w-wonderful pieces of music before…!”

“To be fair,” Kirby said, amused, “we don’t hear a whole lotta music ‘round here, so anything can reach that award easily. But, yeah—that wasn’t too bad.” A teasing expression sprouted on his face as he spun around a random microphone in his hand. “Though… I betcha her concerts would be better if there were added _vocals_ to them!”

As such, Dedede swiped the offending item from the puffball immediately. “If she does decide to have a singer, it definitely won’t be you doing it,” he deadpanned, stashing it away in his coat.

Kirby faux-pouted. “Awwww… You’re no fun, Dedede.”

“Well, I like my castle intact, thank you.”

“S-So…” Nervously, Bandana Dee looked at his liege. “Great King… do—do you think we could… try practicing the piano, sometime?” He blushed. “I—I wanna try b-being able to do that, too… It’s cool…”

“Heh heh heh—of course we can, Dee!” Dedede heartily laughed. “I s’pose I can’t have chess as my only hobby forever! Might as well take the time to learn new things with one of my best friends!” (Bandana Dee beamed at the acknowledgement.) He stood tall and large, ready to take charge whenever he so wished. “Heck—maybe if we could put together some tinier pianos or whatever, we could have a whole class learning it!” He directed a hand toward his servants gathered up in the hallway, each of them perking up equally. “That’d be a real treat, wouldn’t it?”

“You guys can do that, then,” Kirby said. “My only passions are food and friendship—and besides, Wii Music’s more my gig.” Overdramatically, he raised his arms to the sky. “I mean, it’s only the greatest musical masterpiece Nintendo’s ever created!”

“I-isn’t that just because it k-kind of accurately represents your skill in p-playing instruments?” Dee asked.

“Yeeeeeeah, basically,” he admitted. “Now that I think about it, I think I still have my copy somewhere back home…” He idly started swinging a spare Wii Remote he had on hand (he had a _lot_ of extra items in his inventory, for whatever reason); the grin he wore could probably legitimately terrify any seasoned Star Ally. He looked entertained just _thinking_ about his guilty pleasure of a game – and it didn’t take a genius to figure out the two people he wanted to introduce it to.

“No problems there! We’re gonna make so many catastrophes together, I can tell! But in all seriousness…” He got a contemplative look on his face as he stared at Kaede and Rantaro from far away. They were clearly enjoying themselves, far more than even while cooking that strawberry shortcake _~~(Mmm,~~_ ~~_I can still taste its **magnificence~** )_~~ _—_ and it warmed his heart to see the Pianist smiling the same way he would at the end of a good day. “…I think those two are really good for each other. In the friendship sense, I mean. With our help, that whole ‘killing game’ thing’ll be a bad dream before they know it!”

“You—You said it, Kirby!” Bandana Dee cheered. “A-All this won’t be so bad, if we j-just do our usual things! Hopefully! B-Befriending people and making them happy’s still a thing, l-last I checked!”

“That’s what we’re here for, huh?” Dedede pondered aloud. “Not a bad thing to have on our resume, if I’m being honest.”

* * *

And so Kaede and Rantaro continued to trade off on their impromptu piano recital, and the trio of eavesdroppers continued to watch the duet from afar, discreetly applauding the show as best they could. (What could they say? Star Allies always do their best to support their friends!) It wasn’t the most spectacular of shows—and NOVA knows it wasn’t the most elegant, either—but for Dream Land, it was absolutely perfect.

Absolutely perfect… until Kaede and Rantaro decided to turn in for the night. Now, all good things had to come to an end at some point, and everyone knew there’d be more opportunities to witness such a marvel eventually. The immediate problem, though?

The throne room had only one entryway.

The entryway the Star Allies were currently behind.

In a hallway with absolutely no cover whatsoever.

The mad scramble to get away was a thing of beauty on its own.

It was also not quiet or subtle in the slightest.

“…if they wanted to watch, they could’ve just come in!” Kaede exasperatedly stated, watching the panic with a face that screamed _‘Seriously!?’._

Rantaro chuckled. “Well,” he said, “nobody ever said our caretakers aren’t allowed to be a little… wildly eccentric.”

She sighed. “Even eccentric people should have _some_ common sense, at least… Jeez…” _But I guess that’s what makes them… them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from the lyrics to _Face My Fears,_ by Utada Hikaru. (KHIII’s two theme songs are just _so good~)_
> 
> We’ve finally reached the end of this fic’s first ‘arc’, everybody! Only took us about eight/nine months to get there, _jeez!_ Next chapter will be a brief interlude, and then after that, we’ll really be in business! While I admit I’m very much writing by the seat of my pants (though not without some semblance of planning), I hope I’ve still managed to create an adequately entertaining narrative for you guys. We’ll see where things go from here, eh?
> 
> I hope the heart-to-heart between Kaede and Rantaro was heartwarming enough for you all. They had a lot of potential chemistry in terms of whatever friendship could’ve existed between them, had Rantaro lasted past Chapter 1. Even though Kaede has a bit of a barrier related to him in this fic—I expect you won’t be forgetting about the whole shot put ball trap situation any time soon—but even then, Rantaro probably wouldn’t be too hung up over it. I mean, he’s got that calm and collected aura, and he’s pretty understanding. (Plus—Kaede could really use some more support, y’know?)
> 
> And of course—since I’m ~~unintentionally~~ paralleling the way DRV3’s first chapter ended off, what with Clair de Lune playing and all, it’s only right that I give it a little nod. Shuichi’s little segment isn’t 1:1 with the original game, and it _definitely_ doesn’t take place at the same time as this chapter, but I feel like it fits in the context of this chapter. And who knows, it might even lead to somewhere interesting down the road. We’ll just have to see where it goes from here.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for something… a little bit different, let’s say. See you then!


	8. Interlude: In a World That’s Fading to Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A world of miracles, a world of despair—they couldn’t be any more distinct from each other. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t be connected, or that one couldn’t learn from the other. There could be hope for the scattered Ultimates, so long as they held on tightly to the ideals of friendship—
> 
> And all that starts with the dreamy influence of a happily hungry puffball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set the night prior to Himiko’s magic show. The flashback segment is set a day after the events of _[Grit Your Teeth and Go](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15663135)._ Spoilers for Chapter 2 of _Danganronpa V3_ will be featured from this chapter onward.

_It was the day following the end of the Jamba Heart crisis. In celebration of the victory against Void Soul, all of the Star Allies who had joined Kirby on his greatest adventure yet were gathered up in front of Castle Dedede, enjoying the nice afternoon together. Dream Friends and Helpers alike were running all about the general area: Rick, Kine, and Coo were giving rides; Team Adeleine was having an art contest; Meta Knight and Bandana Dee were sparring with the more weaponry-inclined Helpers…_

_Kirby inhaled in the sweet air, a satisfied smile on his face. He was situated on one of Dedede’s beach chairs, despite the fact that it was only spring. “Ahhhhhhh…” he released his breath. “Man, just_ look _at everyone!” He let the waves on his Water hat slosh and spin as he watched everyone go about their business. “They’re having so much fun, it warms my soul.”_

_That wasn’t hyperbole. As many Dream Landers could testify, Kirby had a ‘thing’ for friendship. Whenever he saw somebody in need of a friend, he’d push on and on until he managed to break through their defenses. Case in point…_

_“Heh—I’m not surprised that’s the case with you.” Dedede waltzed up next to his mutual best friend, harboring a beach chair of his own. He plopped down the chair and jumped right into it. Somehow, it managed to support his weight. “Forever a Friendship Freak, aren’t ya?”_

_“You know me, and you know my likes!” The pink puffball tossed a strawberry shortcake straight into his mouth. There was a literal mountainside of them sitting atop a plate next to him, because of course there was. “And right now, I’m perfectly fine just having my friends be friends together.” He laid back in his seat, his eyes drawn to his wonderful crew. “…we all kinda deserve it, at this point.”_

_“Tell me about it. The True Arena’s always a lot to handle – even if you’re just watching from the sidelines.” Bandana Dee’s ‘Great King’ shuddered—the memory of Kracko battering them with a torrent of rain was, for better or worse, quite unforgettable. “I am so glad we’re done with that insanity for at least another year.”_

_“You can say_ that _again.”_

_The spring breeze quietly blew through the air, accompanied by the sounds of fluttering butterflies and barreling friends. The two colleagues were content to sit there for several minutes and enjoy the atmosphere, broken up only by Kirby chowing down on yet another strawberry shortcake. Occasionally, a few Helpers would come closer and they’d be able to hear the bizarre conversations going on, but for the most part, it was just the two of them._

_This was the strength of their friendship. They didn’t need to be bombastic and talkative all the time. With how long they’ve been best friends (and before that, rivals), just sitting by each other’s side was enough for them to be perfectly happy._

_“There are so many of us here right now,” Kirby remarked. “Over thirty-six different Star Allies, not counting you or me… It’s like our own localized Smash Bros. reunion! Without the Smash, or the Bros., or the—you get the idea.”_

_“And you befriended each and every one of them,” Dedede mused. “Some more so than others—” Though nobody took offense, it was painfully obvious how much Kirby dotted on the Dream Friends, the so-called ‘main members’ of the Star Allies—“but still, it_ is _an incredible feat. Remember how long and hard you fought to get through to_ me?”

 _The pink puffball beamed. “How could I not? We’re too inseparable for me to forget—even back then, our fates were interconnected at every turn!”_ (That’s one way of putting it, _Dedede thought.) He closed his eyes as he began to reminiscence. “I still remember the days when you first stole all the food in Dream Land… it almost seems like forever ago.”_

_The formerly-unfriendly regent snorted. “It might’ve well have been, for me. There’s such a wide gap between me of the past and me today, we could be classified as entirely different people! I mean—” He brought up his fingers, ready to count off. “—I was lazy, self-centered, arrogant, pigheaded… There are so many unflattering adjectives I could pick, and they’d all be accurate then.”_

_“Don’t forget hungry,” Kirby cheekily added._

_“Wouldn’t that describe you too, Mr. Hypernova?” his best friend raised an eyebrow._

_“Mayyyyyyy-be! I guess that goes to show how practically **made for each other** we are!” Kirby half-joked. As usual, the hero of Pop Star was taking everything in stride—which was, of course, another trait Dedede had since inherited from said hero. “I’m cute yet sassy; you’re regal yet casual—and we’re both the warmest friends anyone can know! It took us a while to get there, but…” He sighed lightheartedly. “…I’ve never regretted it.”_

_“…me neither.” Dedede put his hands behind his head, totally relaxed. “That’s your greatest quality, honestly: your will to never give up on somebody, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. They’ll deny it and deny it and push back as hard as they can, but somehow, you always manage to snuggle up right next to their hearts, like a body pillow for the soul.” Given how adorably cushiony he could be, that wasn’t an inaccurate statement._

_He continued, “You’ve really got a knack for seeing the best in people, in spite of whatever cons they may carry with them. Me, Meta Knight, Marx, Magolor, Dark Meta Knight, half the Helpers here—we wouldn’t have made it this far if you didn’t keep reaching out your hand to us. And I know there’ll be plenty more people to come. Maybe even this year.” He glanced at the perky puffball. “Do you think you’ll—_ we’ll— _be able to handle whoever’s next?”_

 _Kirby confidently smiled. “We’ll figure out a way. We always do. There’s always a glimmer of good within everybody;_ always _something more to a person than what they show on the surface—all we gotta do is look for it, wherever it is, and whenever we have to!” His voice held conviction – a conviction that the Star Allies, including Dedede, knew very well. “There are **worlds out there, waiting for us** , and certainly no shortage of people who **don’t** **have any hope at all**. If we can change that… If we can help others smile for the first time…” His gaze became a little far-off. “…isn’t that something worth fighting for, all on its own?”_

 _“You’ve got a point, Kirbs.”_ That sappy, yet endearing speech… That’s just like you. _“Well, in any case,” he turned to his best friend, “I’ll be happy to be there, anywhere we may end up.”_

_“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Kirby laughed. “Man, look at me, talking so seriously when we’re supposed to be super happy.” He stood up in his chair, quickly placing the rest of his shortcake supply back into his hammerspace. “‘Nuff faffing about—I should go join my friends in having fun!”_

_“We’ll do it together, then,” Dedede proclaimed, also getting up. “It’d be pretty sad if_ I _was the only one not doing anything, heh heh!” He looked back at the beach chairs they’d be leaving behind, deciding, “And if we get tired… we’ll always have_ these _here to rest in.”_ Assuming nobody steals our spot while we’re not looking, but eh—I’ve got plenty of other chairs to bring out. _“So—where to first, our fearless leader?”_

_“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell~” He was going to suggest catching up with Meta Knight and Bandana Dee, when…_

_“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Soaring over the hero and the king’s heads was an abnormally large beach ball, which looked suspiciously like the one Marx tended to use. It was also abnormally sturdy: Birdon, Beetley, Como, and Jammerjab were hanging off of it without it deflating at all. Birdon was panicking, “Get us off, get us off, GET US OFF—!”_

_“Never fear!” Bugzzy exclaimed. “I will save you, my comrades!” The aging king of insects was chasing after the rogue ball, his thunderous voice able to be heard by everyone. “I may not be as young as I used to be, but this old boy’s still got some vigor left in ‘im! HAH!”_

_Kirby and Dedede stared blankly at the bizarre scene in front of them. A couple seconds later, the puffball shrugged and said, “That’ll do!”_

_“Hoo boy… This is gonna be interesting, isn’t it?” Dedede grabbed his hammer and hoisted it over his shoulder. “Alright, then—let’s see what we can do here!”_

* * *

**Ultimate Academy  
Dormitory – Shuichi’s Room**

Shuichi abruptly woke up in the middle of the night.

He blinked. _That was… That was bizarre._

He rubbed his eyes, as if he had somehow been hallucinating while sleeping.

Was the stress of being in a killing game getting to him? Had losing two of his friends, one in particular, been too much for his already addled brain to handle? It _had_ been over a week since the game began, and he… admittedly wasn’t quite a paragon of stability ~~(a far cry from Kaede, though he _was_ getting better about that)~~. Heck, even the weird Flashback Light-induced visions didn’t compare to inexplicably dreaming up an entirely different _planet_ with its own history and characters.

Slowly, he sat up in his bed, a tired sigh coming out of his mouth. “…at least it was a comforting dream, if nothing else.” _If only it could’ve been real._

…now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn’t all that unexpected that he was imagining such a fantasy. He had wanted to run away from the truth, having seen all the pain it could bring; was it any wonder he was subconsciously trying to escape his own reality, casting aside the sight of Monokuma’s twisted ideals looming over them? He had promised to be more confident, to get everyone out of the academy—but he hardly knew where to begin, and the end of the road still seemed so far away—

He shook his head and looked to the desk by his bed. A single, colorful Kubs Pad lay on top, having been rescued from Kokichi’s hands after the (he shuddered)… ‘Insect Meet and Greet’ earlier that night. He reached out, set it on his legs, and tapped the screen. Immediately, the device turned on, illuminating his view with bright images. ~~(It was a good thing the dorms were soundproof. God only knows what sleeping habits everyone else had…)~~

 _“Alright! Back by popular demand,”_ Monokuma’s squeaky voice announced at full volume, alongside a logo labeled ‘Kaito Momota’s Motive Video’, _“it’s time for the **motive video!** Who’s the most important person in **your** life? And now, without further adieu…”_

It was a video the Detective had already seen before: as implied, it was the newest motive for killing introduced by the Monokubs, and Shuichi had figured out what it was only _after_ seeing the whole thing. This time, however… he needed to gather his thoughts.

 _“Kaito Momota, the Ultimate Astronaut…”_ the demented bear said. The video at this point was showcasing his best friend Kaito alongside his grandparents—a picture that had long since been ingrained in Shuichi’s brain. _“Thanks to his exceptional talent, this young man is already an astronaut trainee! Wow!”_

More mockingly, he continued, _“Our team has managed to score an exclusive interview with his grandparents. They miss their grandson **terribly,** and hope he returns to them safe and sound. But don’t just take my word for it! Let’s hear it straight from the source!”_

_“Kaito… As long as you’re alive, I don’t need anything else.”_

_“No matter what happens, you must live. You must **never** give up. Please… live on. For our sakes, too.”_

Shuichi frowned, as he remembered his uncle—his close caretaker, the elder detective who had taught him everything he knew about being a detective. For a moment, he speculated over whether or not he was okay; if his own motive video featured him. The Detective could never murder—especially not after Kaede—and Kaito was too passionate and friendly to ever perform the action himself, even if Monokuma conspired to change that. But… several of the other Ultimates didn’t have that kind of unwillingness.

He let the rest of the video play out as he contemplated his classmates and himself. _…Kaede believed everyone in this academy could be friends,_ he recalled. _Even if we had barely known each other for a few days at best, she believed the best in us could win out over our fears and insecurities—me the most of all._

_In another universe, maybe she could’ve been right._

_In another universe… like that ‘Dream Land’ place…_

_…_

_~~(…I wonder if she’s there right now.)~~ _

_Any of my classmates here could turn out to be another blackened tomorrow, or in the near future. And while I promised not to look away from the truth anymore… it’ll nevertheless hurt to have to peel back the lies, and end up losing two more of our friends._

_I… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to forgive them, either; whoever’d be next in line to get executed. Kaede had a good reason—but that won’t apply to everybody. ~~(Is that better or worse than if it did?)~~_

Seeing as it was still so fresh in his mind, a couple quotes from the dream he had had came back to him:

_‘That’s your greatest quality, honestly: your will to never give up on somebody, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.’_

_‘There’s always a glimmer of good within everybody;_ always _something more to a person than what they show on the surface—all we gotta do is look for it, wherever it is, and whenever we have to!’_

That puffball reminded him a lot of Kaede; he held a lot of her unwavering optimism and determination, just far more solidified in its presence. Same with that oddly regal penguin. He pondered if he could find a ‘glimmer of good’ in all fourteen of them, despite their often very prominent adverse aspects.

_Wait… Could **I** find a way to see that…?_

…

It’d be a difficult route, unsurprisingly. As he was now, such an ideal would be rejected—the current circumstances didn’t exactly lend well to blind faith akin to what he was internally describing.

**_But everyone believed in Kaede, even after everything had been revealed. And you still do, too. Don’t you want to try and live up to her wish?_ **

…

Shuichi sighed again—at this point, his thoughts were just careening in circles. He’d consider the topic another time – he needed to be well-rested for Himiko’s magic show the next morning, and he didn’t think Tenko would appreciate it if he missed it entirely (you don’t anger the Ultimate Aikido Master without being prepared, and the Detective was in no way prepared for _that_ outcome).

He returned the Kubs Pad to his side desk, laid back in his bed, and brought up the covers to his chest. As he closed his eyes, he began to hope against hope: _With any luck, nothing’ll go wrong._ _It’s just a magic show. I don’t really agree with having one while we’re in this situation—but it’s gotta be harmless enough._

_And who knows? Maybe Kaede’ll be able to watch it, in whatever heaven she’s in…_

* * *

_Around the same time, in a dilapidated-looking shower room, an unconscious body lay on the ground. His hands lay atop his back, a pair of handcuffs attached to them in short order. The sound of running water was the only thing otherwise audible through the air, coming out of faucets from the nearby sink._

_The other figure in the room turned the faucets off, seemingly satisfied by the now-filled-up bowl of water they had created. They lifted the unconscious body—one hand tilting back his head, the other lowering his jaw—and sent him spiraling into the sink. The pain instantly sent shockwaves through the victim, with him awakening and instinctively beginning to struggle – but the handcuffs, mixed in with the aggressor forcing him down, meant that he was unable to escape._

H-Heh… _his fading mind calmly thought, even as his body found itself fighting back as hard as it could._ So… th-this is how my life ends.

It’s—It’s saddening, admittedly. H-Here I am, without a reason to live, s-saying I’m ready to die… and yet, I… I…

I don’t want to go. I don’t r-really want to leave you all. I don’t want **her** to have to—have to sacrifice you for the s-sake of her—her people.

…S-Sorry, everyone.

If I only had a stronger attachment to life, you—you wouldn’t be put in danger like this.

I guess the one who still has a ways to go…

…

…is me.

_…_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Elsewhere, in a palace of reunions, a magic wand glowed with a startling brightness. The rod also emitted a wonderfully warm aura, acting as a sort of beacon through time and space._

_Alone, it couldn’t do much. But combined with similar wands around the land, and the planet’s natural propensity for miracles, it could gift lost souls a light to reach out to, a sanctuary untouched by the tidal waves of despair. ~~(A light that, in the end, would lead to the greatest second chance they never knew they needed.)~~_

_So it was there that an almost extinguished soul, in the plane between dream and reality, mind and matter, started to drift toward a world of peace. And the cycle of friendship and redemption continued to brighten the stars… a subtle sight that didn’t go unnoticed by those ‘in tune’ with said plane._

_“Interesting,” a nasally voice remarked, the individual it belonged to sitting alone in a particularly blue room. “Beyond the cosmos, I see multiple fates are commencing a collision course. Unprecedented… but not unwelcome.” Bloodshot eyes opened up, accompanied by a_ very _wide grin. “Perhaps I should send one of my attendants to investigate this phenomenon in the future…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s title is derived from [Poopturd’s cover of _Kami-Iro Awase_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPB80LYgXDA) _,_ the opening theme for _Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy – Side: Despair._
> 
> So, surprise—we’re getting regular Ultimate Academy interludes! I wasn’t originally intending on taking the plot in this direction, but I figured it’d make things more interesting than it would be otherwise. Good excuse to give a couple of the Ultimates some actual screentime before the end, too, since they’ll be stuck at the Academy for the majority of this fic.
> 
> Shuichi’s getting spotlighted ‘cause he’s the protagonist of DRV3 alongside Kaede—if I give attention to one of ‘em, it’s only right that I do the same for the other. Their relationship’s pretty central to V3’s plot, and I’m definitely going to make it core to this fic as well. (What can I say, I love ‘em to bits.) There’ll be plenty more allusions to their connection together, and I gotta say, I’m excited for where I’m going to be taking this in the future.
> 
> Like any good _Kirby_ fic, there’s one thing I gotta highlight to high heavens: Kirby’s propensity for befriending anything and anyone. There’s a reason he’s the leader of the Star Allies, least of which being that he knows how to make everyone’s day just a little bit better. There’s a reason I showcase it the most in Kirby and Dedede’s relationship—well, other than the fluff factor: if Kirby can teach others in his world to be forgiving… why can’t those beyond Pop Star learn that as well? Food for thought…
> 
> _~~(Psst! That little scene at the end—it may not be important for this fic, but you might wanna keep it in mind for future fics. Just a head’s up…)~~ _
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for the beginning of the next arc!


End file.
